Dakunesu
by White Moon Princess
Summary: What if Digimon season 1 had gone differently? What would have happened if Matt had never rejoined the team after Cherrymon's influence and fight with Tai? Five years after the Digidestined return without Matt, they find themselves at odds with the friend and comrade they once knew. How will the Digidestined reclaim their lost friend?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This is a story that myself and my partner in crime Kurosaki girl 0890 started about a year ago and are just revisiting. Digimon was one of the first anime we ever were exposed to as children. We watched in on Fox Kids **every single day**! Kurosaki girl remembers running home from school so that she wouldn't miss the episode on TV. Digimon has been close to our hearts ever since and is fodder for many, many fan fictions (just look at my account). We wanted to share this story with you to see what a wider audience would think of it.

**Warning: This story will be quite angsty and dark. You will see why very shortly. Please keep that in mind as you read. **

In this story, Matt is basically the main character and it is focused around his struggles and angst. But, everyone will have a role to play in the story. Please Read and Review! It is what keeps myself and Kurosaki girl 0890 writing!

* * *

Chapter 1- Crashed Dream

The wind blew harshly against the seven of them as two Mega Digimon went at it against each other. Sora Takenouchi watched as Matt Ishida and Tai Kamiya fought each other. She was so helpless, their leader and the second in command were at each other throats. Sora had never felt more torn in her life as she stood on the sidelines watching.

T.K. Takaishi gripped onto her hand.

"Why is my brother acting like this? Why can't he get along with Tai?"

"I don't know T.K., I just don't know." What else could she say to him? He was watching his older brother fight with one of his best friends. There wasn't much one could say to a seven year old to explain the situation.

A flash of light appeared and the two digimon were thrown apart. Sora couldn't explain why her legs propelled her towards the blonde haired boy as he slowly began to get back to his feet. Nor could she explain the moisture that was slipping out of her eyes.

"Matt...you really aren't leaving us are you?" She tripped on a rock she couldn't see because of the tears that were falling.

Matt barely looked at her before turning around, "Yeah, I am leaving. I don't want to be a part of this group anymore. I'm going to take care of myself."

"And what about T.K.? You're just going to leave him like your father did?!" she knew it wasn't fair to say these things but she couldn't stand the thought of him leaving. Sora got to her feet and ran, her hand clasping around his arm. '_Why do I feel like this? Matt's a big boy, he can go off on his own if it's what he wants.'_ She couldn't understand all feelings that were swirling inside of her.

"He'll understand when he's old enough. Sometimes you have to go on a path that no one else can follow. I have to go on this path alone."

Sora shook her head. "You don't have to go, you just think you do. We all care about you Matt..." she paused not sure why she had the feeling to say this, "I care..."

It was almost unrecognizable, but his eyes softened for a moment before he turned back around, "It's over. I'm out."

"Look at me!" She cried as she yanked on his arm again.

"I looked at you Sora. You're not going to stop me so stop trying." he replied coldly.

Sora moved so she was in front of him. "I know deep down you don't really want to do this. So why are you?"

"I do want it. I want to be more powerful than any of you. Today proved I need to work even harder to be stronger so that next time we meet...I can beat Tai to a living pulp."

Sora reached under his shirt and pulled out his crest, "You're one of us, please don't turn away from us! You and Tai are equal in strength! Why would you want to be stronger than him?"

"Because...that's what I need to grow. I need to be stronger." he gently pushed past her, keeping his eyes on MetalGarurumon who was waiting for him.

She stood still for a second longer and then ran after him once again. "Do you remember the time by the lake? When I wanted to do nothing more than give up on my stupid crest? When everyone was asleep you came and got me and took me there, and told me that love was the strongest one...because once you have love in your life...it's always there in some shape or form. You told me that Matt! You also said that you'd be here..." she paused as she choked on her words, "for me."

"I lied. At least about the second part. The only one I truly trust and am there for is myself." he kept walking, not stopping to witness her hysterics.

Something soared through the air and hit the back of Matt's head. Sora stood, panting, her crest now on his shoulder.

"Take me with you then."

"Not happening. Stay here with the others." he brushed her crest off, letting it fall on the ground.

"Why won't you let me come? I swear I won't get in the way."

"What part of I want to be alone doesn't make sense Sora?! I don't want you around! It's that simple!" he exploded.

She stomped over and picked up her crest. She glared at him, "Well I don't care! I'm going to come with you whether you like it or not!"

Matt got on MetalGarurumon's back easily, "No, you won't or you will wish you hadn't Sora. Do you want to lose Biyomon forever? Are you really willing to put her in danger for your own pride? Because if I see you coming after me...I will make sure MetalGarurumon turns her into little pieces of data."

Sora slumped her shoulders but never took her eyes off Matt. She walked to MetalGarurumon and touched his metal face, "Please watch after him for me."

"I will take care of Matt. Don't you worry."

Sora kissed his muzzle, "I know you will...and...when he softens up around you...remember to tell him that I care about him a lot...so much that I don't even understand it. Boys are supposed to be stupid." she whispered all this so Matt wouldn't be able to hear it but she know MetalGarurumon could.

"Remember Matt as he was before. Not as he is now. He's...a good boy underneath. He's just lost."

Sora swallowed, trying to get her emotions in check. "I'll come find you guys...I promise."

Matt looked at everyone else and then both of them disappeared into the forest. Shock rippled across the group as they stared at the space Matt had been in.

"He's really gone..." Joe whispered.

T.K. burst into tears and tried to run after Matt. Sora caught him before he could run into the forest and wrapped her arms around him. "It's going to be okay T.K." she tried to soothe. T.K. turned and cried into her chest, wanting nothing more than for his brother to come back.

"Do you think it's really safe to let him go off like that? What if he gets lost or gets hungry or doesn't have enough hair gel?" Mimi asked, turning to Tai for an answer.

"I say let him go, he'll come around to his senses soon enough." Tai answered as he touched his tender cheek.

"Do you really think it's smart to let him go? Shouldn't we stick together?" Joe inquired.

"He'll be okay, won't he Tai?" Kari asked quietly as she looked up at her older brother. Tai looked down at her and laid his hand on her head.

"Of course he'll be okay. And he'll meet up with us soon, I guarantee it."

"In the meantime we should look for Puppetmon and the Dark Masters. I'm sure Matt will find us if we keep going in the trajectory we were going in." Izzy suggested.

"Right, so let's do that, okay team?" Tai asked as he took Kari's hand in his.

Sora slowly got to her feet, T.K. in her arms as he still cried.

"It'll be okay T.K, I'll look after you." Patamon promised as he flew beside Sora.

"We're ready Tai."

The group journeyed on. They eventually met Piedmon and destroyed him, but they could never find Puppetmon or his gang. Matt seemed to completely disappear, never rejoining the group as the others had hoped.

Once the Ultimate Dark Master was destroyed, they tried to search for him before they were sent home, but there was no such luck. It was like he had vanished into thin air after leaving the fight. All 7 of them hoped someday they would be able to find their lost friend and bring him back into their group. But only time would tell if this dream would be achieved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all! Thanks so much to our reviewers from the first chapter! We had tons of interest in our story and it was awesome to hear that. We did have one person who was wondering about some plot point from the show that were glossed over in our story. Please realize that those discrepancies will be addressed in coming chapters. Right now, we want to establish the premise of the story and how the characters have changed from how they were presented in the story. Both myself and Kurosaki girl0890 ask for your patience as we set up the story. **

**Please Read and Review because we do appreciate your comments and feedback.**

Chapter 2-New Adventure

Mimi Tachikawa ran through the forest with Palmon leading the way. Digimon were following them in hot pursuit telling them to stop running.

'_What's going on here? Why are these Digimon chasing us? Last time I was here...we got chased but not like this. These Digimon seem...like they want to kill us for real. Plus it's so dark here...why is it like that?'_

Palmon jumped into a bush and pulled Mimi behind it.

"This is bad news Mimi. We have to get you back to the human world."

"Why are they chasing us Palmon?"

Palmon gasped as the Digimon found them, "C'mon we can escape this way."

She pulled Mimi towards a small TV with rabbit ears. Mimi pulled out her Digivice and both of them were sucked into the TV. When they emerged in the human world, Mimi looked around. The bell rang loudly at the school. Students were starting to fill the hallways.

"We gotta get out of here Palmon." Mimi hurried to slide the door open and pull Palmon along, "The high school isn't too far away. We can find the others there."

She managed to get herself and Palmon to the high school without being noticed. Palmon had gone into her in-training form to cause less attention on her and Mimi carried her on her hip.

"We're almost there Tanemon."

Mimi noticed a girl with red short hair going out onto the tennis court.

"Sora!" she yelled through the fence.

Sora spun around, her white skirt twirling as she did. Had she just heard her name? Sora put her hand on her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun so she could try to make out who was calling to her. It took her a moment to take in the pink hair and pumps but a smile came to her face and she jogged over to the fence.

"What are you doing here Mimi? And...why is Tanemon here?"

Mimi leaned close to the fence, "I have something to tell you. Can we talk somewhere more private? You're gonna want to hear this."

Sora turned to one of her teammates that was just walking through the gate. "Mandy I have to skip this practice, will you let the coach know?"

"Why?"

"Family emergency came up."

"Oh all right, don't worry about a thing." Mandy replied as she continued to walk towards the tennis courts. Sora walked to the entrance to the courts and walked out, meeting Mimi half way. "What's going on?"

"It's kinda a long story...I went to see Tanemon when a port to the Digital World opened up in New York. But the whole place is really warped. It's dark and scary there. I found Tanemon and then we started walking around."

Tanemon looked up at Sora, "I told Mimi to go home, even though I was happy to see her. Humans aren't allowed in the Digital World anymore and I didn't want Mimi getting caught. We started to walk back to where the hole to take her home would be and then..."

Mimi took over the story once again, "Then we were almost to the TV that would take me home when I heard someone's voice. It didn't sound like a Digimon so I turned around. It was dark so I couldn't see much, but I saw..." Mimi gulped, "a chunk of blonde hair, but this one's eyes were red. They were like the color of blood. It was creepy. He asked why a human was in the Digital World. Palmon stood to defend me and then...he sent big and bad Digimon after us so we ran. We ended up here in Odaiba. I was hoping I would run into one of you guys here so I could tell you what I saw."

Sora's bag slipped from her shoulder and hit to the ground with a thud. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open. '_How could I have not gone after him? It's been five years since he left us...what's wrong with me?! Red eyes...she did say red eyes right? How can a person get red eyes? I suppose anything is possible in the digital world but still...'_

"All this is happening again...guess the new digidestined weren't enough to handle it." She bent down to pick up her white gym bag. She saw her d-terminal but thought against informing the others. There was something she had always been meaning to do since the moment he left.

Sora looked up at the sky. '_I'm coming for you Matt. And if you don't like it...well...you'll just have to destroy me.' _

"Shouldn't we tell the others? None of us can go up against Matt except Tai. I mean it's good we still have our tags and crests, but that doesn't give us the power to warp. Matt would crush both of us in a second." Mimi gulped, "You didn't see his eyes Sora. It wasn't right...wasn't natural. His eyes were so red and evil...it scared me. I actually screamed right in his face...though I couldn't see it. I just saw his eyes and a chunk of his hair from the cloak he was wearing."

Sora slung her bag over her shoulder. "You can't tell the others Mimi. I'm going after him...he'll listen to me. He may not like what I have to say but he'll listen. He..." she stopped short, she knew Matt would be furious if she told Mimi about the small connection they shared as kids. With a shake of her head she started towards the school. Mimi ran after Sora, Tanemon bouncing on her hip as they went, "I'm going with you then. There's no way you're going back alone."

"No it's too dangerous Mimi, and since when have you actually willingly gone into danger?" Sora asked as she started up a flight of stairs.

"I have grown up a little you know. I would have stood and fought but there were too many even if I digivolved Palmon all the way up. And the only reason I screamed was the eyes. I was actually happy to see that tall and imposing figure with blonde hair until I saw the eyes. You're my best friend and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't go with you?"

"An obedient one." Sora muttered. '_Great..now if anything happens to her it will be my fault. Tai would kill me if he knew this was happening...especially if he knew Mimi was coming along and I let her. That boy really just needs to admit that he has a thing for her.'_ They reached the computer lab and Sora walked over to the far right computer that was closest to the window. Hopefully the port would be open. She grinned like a small school girl when it was. With a quick unzip of her bag she pulled her Digivice out and held it to the screen.

"You really should go back to America Mimi, I'm sure you have like a fashion show or something, don't you?"

Mimi snorted, "Friends I haven't seen in 5 years trump that. I dropped my bag somewhere in the Digital World and it has some supplies we'll need. Let's try to find that while we look around shall we?"

There was no stopping Mimi when she set her mind to something. Sora turned her attention back to the computer as her digivice synced with it and began to pull her in. '_No turning back now...sorry Tai.' _

Both of them landed in the Digital World with a thud. Mimi rubbed her side, "You would think the ride would improve after all these years."

Sora pulled her face out of a flower plant. "You would think so."

"See what I mean about it being dark around here? It's like it's always night time here." Mimi pointed at the moon and all the stars that were out, but it was somehow unnatural and eerily dark despite its appearances.

It was weird Sora had to agree, but right now there was only one thing she wanted to do. Find Matt. '_I should have stayed behind instead of going back home. Gabumon...I hope you've been watching over him for me.'_

"Sora!" A pink bird like digimon flew in their direction. Sora stood up and caught the bird digimon before she could fall to the ground.

"Oh Sora I'm so happy it's you! I was sure it was your voice I heard."

"I'm so happy to see you too Biyomon."

Biyomon looked up into Sora's eyes, "You're here because of Matt though, aren't you? Oh Sora, you shouldn't be here. He isn't who you remember!"

Sora sat down on the ground next to Mimi. "I don't care, I need to find him again and give him a piece of my mind."

"This isn't going to be good." Biyomon said to Tanemon.

"I tried to convince Mimi to go home too. Matt's different now. He won't even let anyone call him Matt anymore. He's really scary now." Tanemon shuddered.

"Yeah he is! He's like Ken used to be, but...worse."

"I don't believe you." Sora whispered.

"Sorry Sora, but it's the truth. I've seen him kill lots of Digimon. And he burned Primary Village so the new ones have nowhere to be reborn. His eyes have been red ever since...the darkness took over. For a while things were really good. He would go around with Garurumon and help Digimon. He would help rebuild villages and everything. Of course he served under Cherrymon and Puppetmon, but he did his best to help Digimon. Then...he killed Puppetmon in front of everyone and that left him and Cherrymon in command. Things got even better for a while. And then...the darkness took over and Cherrymon disappeared. Matt's eyes turned red and he's been bad to the bone ever since." Tanemon explained.

"So it isn't his fault!"

Biyomon looked sadly at Tanemon, "She isn't going to listen to a word we say about him. She'll just have to see him for herself."

Mimi sighed, "There's always good in others. Matt's is just buried deep down in there. We have to find him and help him. That's why we're here."

"I'll help out as much as I can. I'm just not strong enough to go up against MetalGarurumon." Biyomon replied.

"He can still digivolve into Mega? Does that mean his crest still glows?" Sora asked.

Biyomon fidgeted, "It's complicated Sora..."

"Very complicated...he still can and does go to Mega, but he doesn't wear his crest anymore. I don't see anything glow anymore. So...it has to be the darkness that helps him digivolve now." Tanemon added.

Sora looked down at the ground as she bit at her bottom lip. The memory of her crest not glowing when they were in the final battle with Apocalymon, came to her mind. She hadn't fully understood why it didn't glow...not until she got older and fully understood what her young heart was trying to say to her.

"Sora? Are you okay?"

Sora shot to her feet and started to walk down the path in the forest. "I need to find him."

Mimi scrabbled up to follow her friend, "Maybe we should start where I was when he found me. Maybe he's still around that area."

Sora motioned in front of her, "Lead the way."

Mimi took the first steps and into the lead, "We'd better be careful. It's really creepy...at night don't you think?"

"Sure." Sora answered automatically, not thinking about the creepiness that the digital world had become. Biyomon walked beside her, worry etched on her pink face.

They walked for several miles and then stopped in a clearing. Mimi walked over to some nearby bushes and searched around. She returned moments later with a large and obviously overstuffed pink backpack.

"This is where I saw him. He stood right in that tree there before he jumped down where I was standing." Mimi pointed to the tree.

Sora looked at it and then slowly spun around so she could take in their surroundings. '_How hard can it be to find one of the people that rule over the digital world? Wouldn't he know we were here? Or has he completely lost touch with his crest that he can't even feel the simplest of things anymore? Maybe he chooses to ignore it. That's why the other digidestined never found him...why T.K. never found him.'_

"She stopped talking to us...I don't like it when she's quiet." Biyomon mumbled as she watched Sora, remembering the time Sora had been sucked into the darkness herself.

"She's all right. She's just thinking is all." Mimi spoke up to calm Biyomon's fear.

Biyomon nodded. Maybe she was worrying over nothing, but...something inside of her was warning her...telling her that the darkness could easily swallow her up and she'd never be able to see her best friend again.

"You're probably right, Sora has grown up since the last time I saw her."

"We all have. Matt was certainly taller and had a much deeper voice. I just wonder what it would be like to grow up here. He didn't care about his family or anyone else but himself. His parents don't even know what happened to him after he went back. It was...too painful for any of us to tell them that he wasn't coming back home. But...I'm sure he was watching us all the time. There were things that couldn't be explained while we were here and for a while he helped rebuild the Digital World. So...he's grown up and there may be some good still in him. We just have to figure out how to make it come back."

Biyomon grinned, "Yes! I'm sure with you two here anything is possible."

"Sora...I think it's possible Matt will find us. I didn't know he was there until he spoke. I couldn't sense anyone else at all, but he could sense me obviously. So maybe if we just keep wandering around...he'll find us." Mimi took a step forward towards Sora.

Sora forced a smile, "You're right. So...Biyomon, is the Yokomon village still around?"

Biyomon nodded slowly, "Yes but...they might be afraid of you guys. But I'll talk to them! They're sure to remember you two."

"They are afraid of humans now? It's only been...a year since the others were here. How could things have changed so quick?" Mimi asked.

"Well..." Biyomon looked up at Sora and then sighed, "Matt hasn't been the nicest thing in the world as of late. But you two aren't him so I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I'll go with you to talk to the Yokomon if you want." Tanemon jumped up and down excitedly.

"All right! That would be great."

Sora didn't say anything as they started to walk in the direction that would get them out of the forest and towards the Yokomon village. When they arrived Biyomon had Sora and Mimi wait at the edge of the forest while her and Tanemon ran down the hill to go talk to the Yokomon to make sure it would be okay for their two human friends to come stay with them.

There was a loud howl that could be heard. Mimi shivered and looked up, "Sora...the moon has hardly moved and we've been here for hours. Any ideas who could make something like this happen?"

Sora turned around and looked into the darkness of the forest. "Mimi...go down to the village okay? I need to...check something out."

"I'm not letting you go alone. Let's check it out together."  
'_She can't listen to me once can she? Tai is so much better at handling her...but I still love her even though she's difficult.' _

"Fine, but stay close to me and don't do anything...well...stupid."

"What exactly are we doing? Shouldn't we wait for the Digimon to come back?"

"I told you that you could go down to them, you don't have to come with me." Sora replied as she took another step back into the forest.

"I'm just saying because what if we run into a big bad Digimon? He probably eats little girls like us for breakfast." Mimi laughed awkwardly.

Sora kept her eyes trained on the darkness in the forest, "If you're afraid you don't have to come. I'll be fine alone."

"I'm just wondering. It's not like...those eyes aren't plastered into my mind forever. I feel like I've seen those eyes before somewhere. I just can't remember where."

"Yeah..." Sora would never tell a soul that she swore she saw Matt at one of her tennis games a few months back. '_I was probably just seeing things back then. My mind was just playing with me, making me see what I wanted to see.'_

"Are you still...in love with Matt?" Mimi asked quietly.

"W-What?! In love? Are you joking? I've never been in love my entire life. Besides me and Matt hardly talked when we were all together years ago. Tai's asked me out a couple of times but nothing came from it."

"I can tell some things you know. I've known you forever."

"I wasn't in love...still not. He's a friend and I need to help him. I promised I would." Sora mumbled quietly.

"Are you sure it wasn't more? You two...you were something else. It was strange, but he actually seemed to care about you almost as much as he did with T.K."

"What makes you think that? We hardly spoke to each other."

"Call it intuition. Some people have that and I am one of them." Mimi smiled.

Sora leaned against a tree, remembering the time when Tai had left her and Matt in charge of Kari when Myotismon was searching for the eighth child. That was the second time they had practically been alone together. '_I never thought Mimi would be the only one to sense it. Guess there's a lot about her none of us saw. Well...Tai saw it, he always was listening to her, always paid her attention. I wonder if she noticed that.'_

"You've been waiting for this chance for a long time haven't you? You were the one who was hurting most when we left him behind. You were comforting T.K. but it was obvious that you were hurting too. You wanted to jump off that train car and go find him yourself."

Sora's hands clenched into fists at the memory and all the feelings that came back with it. "I had to be strong for T.K., he needed me."

"And you were, but that didn't mean you had to bury your own feelings. You and him are two peas in a pod you know."

Sora smiled weakly at Mimi, "It's better to bury them than to allow others to suffer because of them." she pushed off the tree and started to walk again.

"Then they stay bottled up and eventually you get hurt by them. That's what happened to Matt. Couldn't you see that right in front of you when he was with us?"

'_Couldn't you see that I've been doing that from the start too?' _

"I know..."

"It was heartbreaking to see that. He was so distant. And yet...you knew he was in pain. It was obvious from day one. The music is what got me. Always the blues..." Mimi rambled on.

Sora fished in her bag and pulled out the old harmonica she had been holding onto for all these years. "I found this the day we were leaving."

Mimi gasped, "He left it for you. Wow...he was watching us then. Why didn't he come with us? He knew T.K. was a mess. He loved T.K. more than anything else so why wouldn't he go home with T.K.?"

Sora held the harmonica to her chest, "I don't know..."

"I just wonder what to say when we meet him. I'm sure you'll think of something perfect. I didn't make such a good impression by screaming at him."

"I hope I can...I hope I don't make things worse." Sora admitted.

"Well whatever you say will be better than what I did. His eyes really scared me though. If it were just seeing him again like normal I wouldn't have screamed. I mean what makes people's eyes turn different colors anyway? They were blue before and now they're red. Don't you think that's majorly weird?"

"I do." Sora agreed quietly as she felt the cold metal of the harmonica on her skin.

"So are we seriously trudging through the woods hoping he'll just jump down and scare us?" Mimi asked another question.

Sora didn't want to explain why she felt like she should be in the dark forest. In all truth she should be just as scared as Mimi was about being in the darkness. But for some reason...it was like she was used to it. With a shake of her head she stopped walking.

"You're right. Let's go back, I'm sure Biyomon and Tanemon are throwing a fit right now because they're worried."

"Like I said, I'm sure Matt will find us when he's ready. I bet you a million bucks he's watching us right now. We'd better get back to Tanemon and Biyomon before they send out a search party." Mimi took Sora's hand in hers.

With one last look behind her Sora allowed Mimi to pull her back to the Yokomon village. Red eyes watched them walk back to the village. He chuckled softly, "How right you are...how right you are..."

* * *

Everyone fell asleep quickly after a feast provided by the Yokomon. Mimi slept soundly with Tanemon in her arms and Biyomon was nestled next to Sora, but somehow Sora couldn't sleep. She stared at the moon that seemed to barely move in the sky, thinking of Matt and how close she was to finding him. She held the harmonica close to her.

"Sora...Sora...Sora..." a ghostly voice whispered as the wind picked up and blew inside the hut they were sleeping in.

With as little motion as she could muster she moved out of Biyomon's hold. Who was that calling for her? She got on her knees and looked out the door of the hut. Should she go to it? Was that really the right thing to do?

"Come...come...to the...forest..." the voice whispered again.

She knew it was the stupidest thing she could do but she found herself walking out of the hut with no shoes on. Her feet moved and soon they were running. With her heart pounding in her chest she came to the beginning of the forest.

"Hello?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb any of the digimon or Mimi that was sleeping in the valley just below.

"Closer...you're almost there..." the voice was growing a little stronger, but it was still a whisper.

Without any hesitation Sora walked into the forest that was masked in darkness. Even though the grass was cold on her feet she continued to walk.

"Are you going to show yourself to me now?"

A soft chuckle came from a tree overhead. A man dressed in all black sat on the branch with his back on the trunk. His leg hung off the tree branch.

"You're far enough in, so in a matter of speaking, yes."

Sora's throat tightened at seeing him as she looked up towards the voice that was speaking. Her right hand started to play with the yellow sweat band she wore on her left wrist.

"You were at my game a few weeks ago...weren't you?"

"Who would have thought you would wear a skirt someday? The Sora I knew would have died before that happened." he answered, his face still shrouded in darkness, his eyes looking away so she wouldn't see them.

"Yeah," she laughed softly, "I never thought I'd wear them either, but after I hurt my ankle...I chose to play tennis so my mom wouldn't worry about me getting hurt as much." With another twist of her wrist band she spoke, "Mimi said you have red eyes but...when you were at my game, I looked up into blue eyes. What happened Matt?"

"Don't say that name!" he snapped. After a few breaths, he calmed down, "I can change my appearance to look normal in the real world. When I am here, you see me as I am. I don't have to hide when I'm here."

Something inside of her snapped by his reaction to her saying his name. Her brown eyes narrowed as she looked up at him.

"It's your name! I'll call you Matt all I want and you'll just have to be a big boy and suck it up! I'm not going to bow to your wishes besides..." she looked away at one of the trees, "I've missed saying it."

"That name means nothing anymore. I gave that name up years ago. You're on my turf so you should call me by my proper name. After all...I could send the squad to get rid of you, but I'm being nice enough to let you tromp around even though humans are banned." he answered.

"What, you want me to call you, Your Highness, like Mimi had everyone else call her?! Sorry, not going to do it." Her expression softened, "Why didn't you go to T.K. when he was here? He misses you so much."

"I gave up all my human connections a long time ago too. And my proper name here is Prince of Darkness. So that is what you call me. Now...why are you here? You don't belong here."

With a swift movement she pulled herself up on the branch beside him.

"If it's true that you gave up all human connections why were you at my game? Why were you watching me, Matt?"

He was silent for a moment before answering, "Because I was bored and your game amused me. I have to go on business sometimes and I just happened to go a little early and see your game. You noticed I wasn't there after the game. I had business to attend to."

"I thought I had made seeing you up. There were other times where I swore someone was watching me over the years...was that you?"

He shrugged, "Maybe...maybe not. That's not the point. You need to leave. Humans are banned from the Digital World and that means you."

With shaky hands she pulled a necklace out from under her tennis shirt. It was her crest of love, she pulled it over her head so it was resting in her hand.

"I'm going to admit something to you. My crest...it wouldn't glow during the fight we had with Apocalymon. Not even a little."

"And?"

"I still haven't been able to get it to glow." She looked at him then, "We've all missed you." '_Me and T.K. the most, but I can't tell him that. I don't know why I can't but...the words just won't come.' _

He chuckled, "That's sentimental if I ever heard it. Listen, I'm going to send some Digimon you don't want to meet after you if you're not gone in 2 days. So make sure you and Miss Motor Mouth are gone by then."

She must have been crazy to do what she did next but she did it anyway. Her arms wrapped around him, almost causing them to fall out of the tree in the process. Despite the fear of almost falling to the ground and having the air knocked out of her she was smiling.

"Thanks for waking me up Matt. And...I still have the present you left behind for me. Why you chose me out of all people I don't know, but I still have it."

Matt managed to keep his balance on the tree and she was hanging on him like a monkey. He pried her hands off of him, "That's great. I mean what I said. Get the hell out of here and don't ever come back."

She pulled her shirt down, that had ridden up when she had hugged him suddenly. '_Why in the world did I do that?! I'm stupid, I hardly hug anyone...I haven't even hugged Tai!'_

"What's out there that is so bad? What has you nervous?"

Finally he looked her straight in the eyes, knowing these eyes would unnerve her, "Me you moronic human. I am what's out there. And I can and will kill you if you don't leave. I'm being slightly merciful because you were once part of my team. I will not allow you a second chance. Now leave." he pulled her hands off him and used them to set her down on the ground.

She held onto his hands, not letting him pull away from her.

"You can't scare me Matt. Not like you scared Mimi or the others. Your eyes are a little...well they aren't you but that doesn't make me fear you." Sora didn't flinch or anything as she locked eyes with him. "Please...let me stay here for a little longer than two days."

"What the hell makes you want to stay longer? This world isn't what you remember stupid. Can't you see that? It's dark all the time and for a reason. There is never any sunlight...ever. What's so appealing?"

"You!" her hands tightened over his, "You are the appealing thing, you are the one I want to see for a little longer! I know you'll think I'm stupid but...I can't forget you like you want me to. I've changed, I'm not that little girl who didn't know how to do anything. I know you've changed too but..." she swallowed, "I want to get to know you again."

He laughed, standing up on the tree branch, pulling her off the ground a little bit, "You're insane. You have completely lost it. I'm no longer human. Can't you see that or are you so blinded by human connections that you can't see it? I don't sound like a human, I don't move like a human, I don't smell like one, and I definitely don't act like one. I'm not interested in getting to know that again. I have a job to do and I will destroy you and Mimi if you don't leave. And trust me when I say that if I catch you again...you won't die a pretty or fast death. That's not my style."

Sora swung her legs until her bare feet were pushing against the tree branch he was standing on.

"I'm not afraid of the dark! Did you see me cringing from it like Mimi was, did you see, or hear me scream when I saw what you looked like?!" She pushed him back so she could stand on the branch once again.

"I am not afraid. You can talk and act like you aren't human, but the truth is, you are. You have hands, fingers, feet, a body that of a human. You can't change that." Her hands still held onto his, she was afraid to let him go. That was her only fear, losing him again. It had been her dream since she left him behind to bring him back home to his family.

He disappeared in a puff of black smoke before reappearing on another tree, "You have literally lost your mind. For once I'm going to say that Miss Motor Mouth has the right idea. I'm something you should be scared of and I'm not even the worst out there...yet. So stop being ridiculous and leave."

Sora folded her arms, "Right now you're the one that is afraid. What do I have cooties or something? Come talk to me like a normal...whatever you want to be and maybe I'll listen to you and go home. Deal?"

"We've done plenty of talking thanks. You've officially convinced me that you are completely...ridiculous."

Sora sat down on the branch, not caring that the bark irritated her skin on her legs. "This is all I ask...please."

He rolled his eyes, "You can ask me one thing. If I think it's amusing enough I might stick around. Otherwise I'll leave you behind."

'_What can I ask him that would make him want to stay and talk to me? Can he still be the same deep down inside and he just has a hard exterior? What will make him stay?' _

"How's Gabumon? And..." she trailed off, not sure she should say what else she was going to say. '_That will totally make him run for the hills. No, I'll keep it to myself.' _ "has he been by your side this whole time?" '_Please have Gabumon be something that makes him want to talk to me, really talk, like before. I don't want him to leave...not yet.' _

"Absolutely, Gabumon doesn't leave ever. He's always around. Gabumon is the only living thing that hasn't left. He's the most loyal one I have." Matt looked up at the moon with his blood red eyes, "We've never been separated which is a good thing."

"That's great, I'm glad." Sora smiled at him. '_If he wanted me to stay...I don't know if I could refuse him. I know in my head that I should refuse but...'_

"Does this mean you'll stay and talk with me for a little while now?"

"What's there to talk about Sora? I'm completely different than you remember. You're not supposed to be here and you need to go home. That's all there is to it."

"There's a lot to talk about. You tell me about you and I'll tell you about me. And I know I need to go home...but I have two days at the most right?"

"At most. You talk first." he stated.

Sora patted the spot next to her. "Sorry it's hard for me to talk to you when you're clear over there."

He rolled his eyes again and moved to the tree she was on, "Talk."

"Did you know I think Tai secretly likes Mimi? Wait, we're not talking about that. Anyway, after we went home...I still played soccer of course. A year went by and then another and I just felt like I was standing still while everyone around me was moving. Suddenly I felt like I wanted to do something different. Tennis came along and I knew my mom would feel better if I was in that. I started to wear skirts most of the time. But I've always worn tennis shoes with them. I don't do the whole, high heel thing. I started to use a little make-up...boys started to ask me out. High school is great." Sora bit her lip. Could she tell him about how she hid to herself? Didn't talk to anyone except when she was talked to first?

"What about you?"

"Me? What's there to talk about with me? Talk about High school and what about these boys. Do they interest you?" he inquired.

Her hair flew in the air slightly as she shook her head. "No, not one of them do." '_I've had a certain one on my mind for years.'_

"And High school? Tell me what that's like."

"The school work is hard, really hard. It's a popularity contest, and I'm not winning. Tai is way popular." Sora answered, trying to stop herself from saying something stupid.

"Tai? That bastard is popular? It's a messed up world if he's popular." Matt looked down at Sora for a moment and then back at the moon, "I'd love for Tai to step back into my territory. I'm strong enough to beat him now. I can think of a couple ways to draw him back in...but that's not what we're talking about either. What's your plans for the future?"

"Don't have any." Sora mumbled as she took out his harmonica she had put in the pocket of her skirt when he had woken her up.

"Why not? Shouldn't someone like you have some?"

"Someone like me?" she fingered his Harmonica, touching the engravings. "Matt...you know a lot about keeping things to yourself. I...I've been doing that. When you left...a part of me left too. I didn't want to go home, even though I knew you didn't want me in your life. You were still my friend...still are, I just..." she trailed off.

Matt waited quietly for her to continue.

"I didn't know what I was feeling when you left...I couldn't explain it to anyone, especially myself. I...I don't know what I'm trying to say. I guess...thank you...for coming to my tennis match. I know you probably didn't do it for me but...that's okay."

"You're a good player. I was interested in your skills." he stated.

She smiled at him, "Thanks, I really enjoy playing. Not as much as soccer but it'll do."

"How did you get injured? When you were doing soccer that is." he asked curiously.

"One of the boys on the other team shoved me into the goal post and my ankle hit at an odd angle and snapped." Sora shrugged.

"Ouch...so no more soccer. At least you found tennis."

She swung her legs, "Yeah...at least I found that."

"So...how is T.K.? He's almost 14 now."

"He's doing pretty good. There are times when he doesn't know how to handle things and he wishes you were there. But other than that, he's as good as he can be." Sora replied.

"That's good. I'm glad." Matt said quietly.

Sora put the harmonica back in her pocket. "He still loves you Matt."

"If he knew what was going on here...he'd fight to destroy me. He did that before and I know he'll do it again. He doesn't have much tolerance for people like me and Ken Ichijouji." he ran his hand through his now long blonde hair.

"He would be upset with you, but he could never destroy you. You're his brother and there's nothing in this world you could do to make him want to kill you. He loves you and he has a feeling that you aren't doing good things but he still cares about you. He still wants to see you, wants to spend time with you." She scooted closer to him and touched his hair that was now even longer than hers.

"You can't get haircuts here huh? I've taken classes in school and learned how to cut hair...would you like me to cut yours? Right now yours is longer than Tai's when his is flat," she giggled, "which by the way, isn't cool."

Matt laughed, "What's wrong with my hair? And I don't have time to get it cut. I'm busy when I go back to the real world. I only go for one purpose and that keeps me completely busy."

"I won't make it completely short, I have an idea for it...will you let me?" she asked excitedly.

He backed away. Then he heard a loud howl and he froze, "I have to go. I have to think of a good excuse for why you aren't dead yet."

"Okay but..." she tugged at his hair playfully, "can you come tomorrow night?"

He hopped to another tree as another pair of red eyes emerged from the darkness, "We'll see. I might be gone on business again. I have to go and run my errand in the real world once in a while or someone...gets hungry."

"Well...do that quick and come find us again. And who in the world are you 'feeding'? A dog? Last time I checked Gabumon didn't eat like a horse."

Matt smirked at Sora, "My boss eats like a horse. He can eat like 3 women a day. It gets really annoying sometimes which is why I try to keep him well fed so I don't have to take as many in one night."

Sora blinked several times, "You must take them from all over the world then because there hasn't been many that have gone missing in Japan. Unless you don't take any from there..." She didn't like the thought of him kidnapping girls just so they could be killed but she didn't want to say that out loud. '_I'm sure he already knows I don't like it. He's not stupid.' _

"Yeah, I take them from all over the world. I can't take them all from one place or someone would notice after a while." he felt a nudge on his back, "Right, right I know. Anyway I get to be the delivery boy since I'm the only one that can go to the real world without drawing attention to myself."

"Hey," she pointed at him, "there's something in the pocket of your weird cloak thingy. I'm expecting it back so I better see you, and it's something you don't want anyone else to see, you might get made fun of, so don't go pulling it out right now. Just remember, I want it back." Sora teased with a grin.

Matt shrugged, "It's just Garurumon, but okay...I'll wait until I am completely and utterly alone to look at it. And...who knows...maybe I'll take a girl from Odaiba this time. I think boss would be happy if I brought Kari as a snack."

Sora rolled her eyes, "Do you really think Tai is that senseless? He'd feel it right away if you just popped into Kari's room, besides, you have no idea, they could still share the same room. Tai's in the worst kind of moods when he gets interrupted during his sleep time."

"That would be disturbing if they still shared a room at their age. But I don't go to Odaiba, so don't worry. I stay away from my old stomping grounds." he walked further back and got on Garurumon's back, "I'll return your special item. Hope I don't decide to kill you when I do it, but we'll save that for another day."

Sora learned forward on the tree, almost to the point of falling out of it. She could see Garurumon a little in the darkness of the tree. "Hi Garurumon, thanks for keeping to your promise. You should have come and talked with us too, it's been forever since I've seen you. From what little I can see you look good."

Matt patted Garurumon's shoulder, "Don't be embarrassed. Just because your fur is a different color now doesn't mean she hates you."

"We should be going Matt. Master is waiting for you. He's getting...ants in his pants over it." Garurumon answered.

Matt chuckled, "Yeah I just bet he is. Hopefully its not the Nunemon again...he got real pissed last time they tried to rise up. You couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks."

'_Kari won't be happy about hearing this. I'm sure she can sense it anyway, she's stronger than all of us.' _

"You bring him back tomorrow okay Garurumon?" Sora looked at Matt and tried hard to ignore feeling that he was being torn away from her again. "Be careful Matt...I..." she sighed, "just don't get caught by the police."

"They never catch me. I'm too fast for that. We'll see if I can come and while I'm gone, take Motor Mouth home. I can't stand having her tromp through my territory. It'd be very easy for me to just slip up and kill her."

"She's being stubborn, you remember how she can be. I'll just...keep her busy." Sora felt a chill run down her spine. "You probably need to go, and I should be getting back. I'm sure Mimi is waking up and I doubt you want to see her right now."

"Oh it'd be lovely to see her again. She might just end up as a corpse or food for the boss." he heard the flap of wings and smirked, "Time to run. Let's get going."

Garurumon jumped into the darkness and the sound of his feet hitting the ground could be heard for a few minutes before silence resumed in the forest.

Sora swung down from the tree and landed on her feet. Her ankle gave a little shot of pain in protest of the hard landing but she ignored it. With a smile on her lips she walked back towards the Yokomon village that was just starting to show some movement. One small Yokomon stared at her as she passed.

"You saw the Dark Prince...you shouldn't talk with him, his words will draw you in and you'll be lost to us forever...just as he is lost. We know he is one of the original digidestined, we remember his happy face...but he is that boy no longer. You need to protect yourself."

"I'm fine, he can't pull me in unless I let him. Don't worry." Sora replied as she continued to walk, not stopping to talk to the Yokomon that had warned her.

She slid into the hut that Biyomon and Mimi were in. Laying back down she yawned and closed her eyes.

Mimi rolled over and yawned, "Is it that time already? Tanemon...what time is it? There's no sun."

"Time to get up time. Your body gets used to this after a few years."

"Yeah, c'mon Sora, it's time to wake up." Biyomon pushed at Sora gently. Sora slowly opened her eyes, not really wanting to but knowing she needed to. '_I really should tell Mimi that I talked to Matt...but for some reason I feel like I shouldn't. The next time he comes she'll insist on coming along. And that wouldn't be safe for her. I need to get her home, but the only way to do that is to give up on Matt for a time. Can I do that after seeing him?' _ Sora sat up and looked at Mimi, '_I'm going to have to if I want to keep her safe. I can't allow her to get hurt because of me.' _

"Morning Mimi."

"Morning Sora. Did you sleep okay?"

"Not the best but with being back in the Digital World does that to us." Sora explained.

"I didn't either if it makes you feel better. I woke up tons of times during the night." Mimi opened her backpack, "I brought some things to eat and other stuff. If you want a bath we can take one. I brought soap and things for that."

Sora nodded, "Sounds great."

"Well then we should go. The bathhouse is just up the road and I've got everything here." Mimi smiled.

They walked together to the bathhouse and got in the warm water. Sora relaxed against the wall, enjoying the feeling of the water.

"This is great."

"Yeah...and it's nice having someone in here with you." Mimi sighed as she settled in.

"True." Sora agreed.

"So...you think we'll find Matt? The Digital World is pretty big and we're looking for one guy. I almost kinda hope he doesn't come find us. Seeing him once was enough."

Sora moved her hand underneath the surface of the water. "I don't know if we'll find him. We might not be able to find him at all..."

"T.K...he deserves to have his brother back. I'm scared to death, but if we find him...we have to bring him home."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy. It's going to take a while and we aren't prepared for the long haul. Let's stay for two more days and then we can come back with more supplies. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah we can go back to New York and get some more supplies. I can get them really easy."

"Okay that sounds good. I can see what New York looks like in person."

"There's a store right next to where the computers are at. We can drop in and buy the supplies and then go back. I have the credit card to do it with." Mimi closed her eyes and relaxed in the warm water.

"You don't want to take a day to see your family?"

"I see my family all the time...they are home a lot. But hopefully right now they are skiing in the Alps for 2 weeks. So it won't matter if I see them or not."

'_I'm trying Matt...but I don't think Mimi is going to let me do this alone.' _

"Oh." Sora mumbled.

"Yeah, so don't worry about a thing. It'll be just fine in Manhattan. I can show you around if you want or we can just pick up supplies and go."

"All right."

Mimi sighed, "What about you? Do we need to make a stop in Odaiba as well? We'll have to tell your mom something."

Sora blew some bubbles in the water, "No she's fine. She knows what I'm doing, we've talked about it a lot. She just didn't know when I'd do it, so I'm sure she'll put two and two together."

"I hope so. I was just so...yeah...you were the first person I ran into. I'm kinda glad it wasn't Tai given the way those two left things."

"Yeah that wouldn't have gone over well at all." Sora agreed. "They would be at each others throats and Matt...I'm sure he would go attack Tai at first sight, I honestly don't know why he hasn't done anything to us."

Mimi giggled, "Because he likes you. Isn't it obvious? If he didn't like you, he would have attacked you."

"Or he just wants to make me suffer."

"I doubt it. I very much doubt it."

'_Given how you two were acting last night...I seriously doubt it.'_

Sora tugged at her wet hair, "I don't know about that. We don't know what he's like now. Who knows, he could be a guy who wants nothing more but to cause pain."

"I guess anything is possible, but I like to think the old Matt is still in there, don't you?"

"Yeah," Sora stared at the water, "I do."

"So Matt didn't hurt you because he liked you and he wouldn't do that because that's not who he is. So don't worry about it. I just worry...about other things I guess." Mimi took out the clip that held her hair up and let it cascade down her shoulders.

Sora's head shot up. "What do you worry about?" '_Does she know?' _

"Do you really think Matt's behind everything? I somehow think he's not considering he's...human. He doesn't have all the power to do all this to the Digital World. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah..."

"So I think there's someone else pulling the strings. Someone...supernatural. Maybe a big bad Digimon or something like that."

"I'm sure there is, isn't that what usually happens?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, so I think Matt's still good underneath. Maybe he's being controlled like Oikawa was. Do you think that could be it?"

"Very well could be."

Mimi began to wash her hair as she thought things out, "Maybe...Matt has a Dark Spore like Ken did. It might explain why he acts the way he does."

Sora began to use the soap. "Maybe, its very possible."

"Maybe I'm just talking nonsense. It was hard to know what happened with Matt around the time he left."

"He did leave me his harmonica..."

"You have any idea why he did that?" Mimi asked curiously.

"No, but I've been wondering why he did."

Mimi dunked her head under the water and when she emerged she wiped the excess water off her face, "Maybe you'll get to ask him."

Sora couldn't stop the smile that came on her lips when she thought of seeing him that night. "I hope so. And I hope if I do...I hope he'll answer it truthfully."

"What reason would he have to lie?"

"Any reason really. Why wouldn't he lie? He's done everything else, right?" Sora added, as she finished rinsing her hair of the shampoo.

"Usually someone lies for a good reason. I don't know...maybe he would try to protect you from whoever is the big and bad Digimon you know. Matt has a Hero Complex after all."

Sora grabbed the towel that was resting next to the bath, she got out of the tub and wrapped it around her body quickly.

"Do you think he'd still have one of those if he's been doing all the bad we've been hearing about?"

"People change sure, but...maybe I'm an optimist in saying that having a Hero Complex is something that is born in you. Breeding helps, but I think most guys in the world want someone to protect."

"I suppose that's true." Sora agreed as she began to dry her hair with a spare towel.

Mimi looked up at Sora and then at the water, "Did you ever think about being with Tai?"

Sora stopped her motion of drying her hair and looked at Mimi, "I thought about it...once, but...I couldn't do it."

"You guys dated for a while right? So you gave it a shot with Tai."

"We dated...for like a month, but that was it." she answered slowly.

"Oh...that's right. I just wondered. He really seems taken with you and always has. I just wondered if you had ever thought of giving up on Matt since we hadn't seen him in 5 years."

"I never thought of giving up on him. I just...I knew Tai deserved a chance, even though I knew it wasn't fair to him. I didn't want to lead him on and that's why...I ended it when I did, but I really shouldn't have ever let it start."

"I see. It's sad for him that you didn't give him a chance. Matt will always be a part of this group and he's our friend, but..." Mimi stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her own body, "have you ever thought he might hurt you in the end? I really wouldn't want to see that for you."

"If we get him back...why would he hurt me?"

"He always seems like a heart breaker. The last thing I would want would be yours added to a list somewhere."

Sora wrapped the towel around her head, "I don't think he's a heartbreaker. He's never given me that impression before."

Mimi sighed, wrapping a towel around her own head, "Forget it. I'm probably losing my touch as 'The Love Doctor' considering my own love life is a mess."

"What happened to that guy you were dating?" Sora asked, trying to get the subject off herself and her complicated life.

"Which one? I mean Michael and I tried for a while, but it didn't come to anything more than just friends. I tried things with Brad and Jake too, but same thing. I don't know...I don't know what I am doing wrong here. These are all nice guys, but things just don't work out."

'_There's no way I'm telling her that the only one I didn't break off was with Michael. Guys really scare me to death and when things start to get...heated...I just can't do it. I end up leaving them instead of it 'not working out'. I just have so many secrets I have to keep around certain guys...I must seriously be losing my touch to completely strike out like this.'_

Sora knew Mimi was thinking about something and normally she would ask what it was. But since she was keeping something to herself she thought it was best to allow Mimi to have some of the same privacy.

'_I just hope she doesn't get into any trouble. I want her to be happy, maybe I should let her in on Tai and his growing feelings for her...but if I did that he would be sure to kill me. I'll figure out what to do by the time we leave from New York in a couple of days.' _ She walked to one of the dressing curtains and went behind it and started to get dressed back into her clothes.

"All we can do is try. Guys can be so stupid...most of the time I wonder if I'll ever get married or if I'll end up being an old maid."

Mimi laughed, "You'll get married. One way or another. If you don't choose one, then I'm sure one could be arranged."

"Yes my mother would just love that. She doesn't want me waiting around for Matt or someone like him. She said if he chose to stay in the Digital World that he wasn't worth it. But...I think he is. There's just always been something different about him."

"Besides the fact that he looks like a foreigner? You don't get many blonde haired and blue eyed Japanese men you know."

"I'm sure he'd tell you the reason why him and T.K. got that is because they are half French." Sora laughed. "But that is a plus, I really do love the blue eyes..."

"Blue eyes are nice, but not everything. It has be about more than just a pretty face."

Sora poked her head out from behind the curtain, "Of course! I'm just saying it was the first thing I noticed about Matt. That's all."

"I think that's the first thing anyone notices about Matt. I'll admit...that's what I noticed first."

Sora came out fully clothed except for her shoes and socks.

"I know, but then...I just started to notice little things about him that I really liked. For example, how he was with T.K. I thought that was really sweet. And how he cared about the team and didn't want to put us in any danger unless there was no choice."

"That's the Hero Complex for sure."

"But what got me most...was his smile." Sora whispered.

Mimi didn't reply as she changed into fresh clothes. _'Does Matt ever smile? I don't really remember him smiling much. Though...it's pretty obvious he hated me from the get go.'_

"I just want to find him..."

"I totally understand that Sora. And I have a feeling you will find him." Mimi emerged dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a tank top.

"I do too." Sora agreed, excited to see Matt that night.

"But we'd better get moving to the next TV. So we'll have to leave the village here and hit the road."

"I agree."

They left the bath house and went to get the Digimon. After a few minutes, they were flying high in the sky towards the nearest TV that would take them back to New York. Mimi looked backward for a moment. In a split second, she swore she could see red eyes watching them. _'I need to stop being such a baby. It's just eyes after all. It's not something I need to worry about. But then...why did I have those creepy dreams all night? I swore I saw Matt killing me in those dreams with this eyes staring at me. He was laughing at me...it was really creepy.'_

They were going to leave the Digital World for a day or two. Sora wanted nothing more than to stay and see Matt again. '_Maybe he'll come find me in New York while Mimi is sleeping. I hope he does.'_ She wished, even though she knew she should never wish for something like that, since it would mean he'd be doing his job...finding girls to take back to his 'master'.

* * *

Matt sat on a stone ledge in one of many large castles his boss inhabited. He would be leaving soon to go back to the real world for fresh victims. With a quick backwards glance, he jumped down onto MetalGarurumon's back and flew through the night sky. They landed a few minutes later at a TV that would take Matt to the required destination.

"Be careful Matt. It's dangerous work back there. Just take one and come back. We can get a few from different locations." MetalGarurumon suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably a good plan. I'll alter my appearance as well while I'm there. There really isn't a reason to worry."

"It's my job to worry." MetalGarurumon answered.

"I'll be back soon buddy. Just hold the fort here til I get back."

MetalGarurumon nodded as Matt stepped towards the TV and used his power to project himself in the real world.

He looked around and then reached in his black leather jacket pocket. He was alone now so he could look at what Sora had given him.

His fingers gripped the black string in his hand as he stared at the charm. _'There's no way...she kept this? Why would she keep something like this?'_

But there was no mistaking it. This was the bracelet he had given her all those years ago. The black string was some he had found on the road while they were travelling. He had used a pocket knife to carve the wooden charm that was tied onto the string. The little wooden soccer ball twirled in the darkness as he began to walk on the streets of his new destination.

'_I can't believe she kept this thing. I admit...I thought she was pretty awesome back then and I made this for her. I didn't have the balls to tell her it was me who made it so I just left it by her for when she woke up in the morning. How would she know I made it at all? I went to all that work to make sure she never found out. I didn't even know if she'd like it because she's not a jewelry type of girl. I don't know what possessed me to make it at all. I'll have to make sure to ask her if she did like it when I get back.'_

He walked into a nearby club. After finding a table, he ordered a drink and looked to the center of the room. Several dancers were preparing to dance for the crowd. It took Matt a minute to realize where he was. _'Moulin Rouge...one of my favorites. It's lucky I use different disguises when I'm here since I've taken several women from here. Boss usually likes virgins, but he hasn't complained when I've brought him a French delicacy. I'll play a little first and then choose one or two to come with me. It's sad that this will be their last dance for anyone.'_

He watched as the dancers danced around the room in their provocative outfits. His eyes studied each dancer to see which would make suitable candidates. When the dance finished, almost by magic, the women he had chosen approached his table.

'_That's right...come to Papa. It's time for you ladies to meet a really special kind of guy. There's nothing else like him.'_

He smirked as the women approached, ready for the games to now begin. _'But we all know how it will end in the end. I sure hope you ladies lived it up, because life is about to get cut short for you lovely ladies. Say adieu to life in France and say hello to life in hell.' _


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again loyal readers! Myself and Kurosaki girl 0890 hope some of you had a great Thanksgiving. We are very excited to present chapter 3 to you. This story is progressing along rather nicely and we hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it. We are currently working on chapter 6 and have been working on outlines for chapters 7 and 8. Positive feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Any ideas that you may have on what you'd like to see would be greatly appreciated. As always please remember to Read and Review. Please tell your friends that you know about this story. It always makes both of us smile to get emails of people who are following, favoriting, and especially reviewing our story. Thanks for your continued support!

* * *

Chapter 3- Truth

Matt watched the apartment in downtown Manhattan carefully. He had been waiting for a few hours before he would return Sora's "present" to her. He glanced at the time which was on a large digital clock.

'_1:37 that's long enough right?'_

He moved stealthily to the sliding glass door and opened it without making a sound. His body moved like that of a ghost down the hall to where Sora was staying in the guest bedroom across from Mimi's room. He had to be careful not to wake Mimi, who was known to be a light sleeper except when she was exhausted.

He touched Sora's shoulder and gave it a small shake.

"I'm back."

'_That was a lame opener. What a loser.'_ he thought.

Sora's eyes fluttered open, "They're not red." She mumbled as she began to wake herself up.

Matt looked at her strangely as he waited for her to completely wake up, "You say all kinds of nonsense when you sleep."

She sat up in the bed, touching his face unexpectedly. "Your eyes...they aren't red."

"Yeah, imagine what kind of attention I would get here if they were. My job here is to blend in so my eyes are their natural color."

"I like it." she said simply, realizing she was in a nightgown she had borrowed from Mimi. She pulled the comforter up so it covered her more.

"I brought this back to you." he held out the bracelet for her to take.

Sora looked at the bracelet and then back up at him. "Sit down, let's talk some more."

He leaned against the wall, "What is there to talk about? Plus I can't stay long. I have to get back."

She struggled out of the covers and went over to him.

"Who's your boss?" she grabbed onto his leather jacket, "And...you can't leave yet..." '_I'm acting so stupid!' _she looked down at the short nightgown and blushed, wishing she had stayed in bed. '_I don't know why Mimi has things like this. It's...well...American? I've never showed this much skin before.' _

"That looks nice on you." Matt noticed her embarrassment and looked her once over in the nightgown she was wearing.

"Don't ignore my question. Who's your boss?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

Her fingers tightened on the leather, "Just give me a hint. And..." '_don't leave me again.'_

"I can't. So don't ask me again. I can't and I won't talk about him." Matt's voice hardened.

"Okay..." her hands shook as she slowly let go of his leather jacket. "You don't have to tell me, I'm sorry I pushed."

"It's not something I'm really going to talk about. I shouldn't even be here. I am putting you in danger by being here."

Sora went on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, surprising even herself. "I wear it all the time," she held up the bracelet.

"I meant to ask...how did you even know I did it? I went to great lengths so you wouldn't know."

"I just knew, there was no way Tai could make something like this for me. And Izzy too much involved with his computer, Joe...well you know Joe, and T.K., too young. So it left you...and somehow I just knew." Sora answered.

"It's weird you've kept it this long."

"I'd keep anything that came from you," Sora blushed, "I mean, you are a good friend." she tried to fix what she had just said. '_Now he's going to think I'm insane.' _

"Nice try." he smirked.

Her feet moved backward so she wasn't standing so close to him. Heart pounding she looked at the carpet. '_What do I do now?' _

"But you'll have to find someone else. I live in the Digital World now. My boss certainly won't want you around. You need a nice...human guy."

Sora turned to look at the small vase that was filled with lily's that resided on the mahogany dresser. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Matt about this subject matter. After a few seconds that seemed like minutes she turned back to him and took his hand. "Let's get that blonde mop of yours taken care of."

"What's wrong with my hair?" he asked, "Just because it's longer doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. I don't have time for haircuts anyway."

"It makes you look homeless." Was her curt answer as she began to drag him out of the guest bedroom and quietly down the hall.

Matt chuckled, "Not everyone thinks so, but it is a pain to tie it up all the time."

It didn't take very long for Sora to lead him down the hall and set of stairs that took them to the ground floor of Mimi's penthouse. Sora was a little lost for a few seconds as she tried to remember which way the kitchen was but soon she remembered and they were entering it before Matt had time to point the way.

She shoved him a little harshly into a chair and then went to shuffle through a drawer that was to the right. "A guy with a good looking face like yours shouldn't have that long of hair obscuring it."

Matt stayed on the chair and sighed, "Well, I guess you can cut it. No need to get so mad."

Sora pulled out hair cutting supplies. It was dumb luck that she was able to find them in the first place. Getting a cup of water she spoke, her eyes focused on the running water. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to seem upset." she replied weakly.

"What did I say to make you mad?"

"N-nothing." With the full cup of water she made her way over to him. It was simple enough to get the supplies ready. With a comb in hand she ran it through his hair. '_I don't think he'd want to know why I got upset. I don't even fully understand why I did. It just...happened for a second.' _

"Motor Mouth sure is a deep sleeper. I thought by now she'd discover us and then she'd be screaming her head off at me."

Sora tried to hide her giggle, "That's true, she'd probably grab one of these expensive pans and try to hit you over the head with it."

"I'd rather not have that. Maybe my presence is helping too." He said absently, "It's pretty easy to manipulate humans."

"It'd be comical if she did do that though." '_I hate how he say's 'humans', he's still one even if he doesn't think he is.' _Sora thought as she dipped the brush into he water and then began to run it through his hair again, getting it ready to cut.

Matt sat quietly as his hair began to fall onto the floor. _'I need to go...maybe this was a very bad idea...I should have never come here.'_

"Sora...tell me about TK. I know he's gotta be getting close to 14 now, but...I don't know anything about the boy he is now. I bet he's definitely changed."

"Well, as I'm sure you could guess he's never been the same since the day you left. He's tried to move on the best he could but he has his own abandonment issues as you had when your parents split up. Except now his is much more severe since he doesn't have his older brother." she continued to snip his hair, "Even though he struggles he's been able to make friends and become a rather popular boy in his school. He tends to hide behind his fake smile though, but the only people that notice are those that are close to him. Him and Kari are together, they go out almost every chance they get, and they love to take photographs. He misses you...and thinks about you all the time."

Matt's eyes went to his lap. He felt a twinge inside himself, but he quickly pushed it away. _'I won't feel any feelings. Emotions hurt way too much.'_

"At least those two kids got together. It was obvious when they were children and at least he has his own friends now. Davis Motomiya and all."

He could feel the difference in weight as more of his hair fell to the ground as Sora moved expertly behind him. She licked her lips as finished up what she wanted to do with the cut. Turning on the electric saver she began to tidy up her handiwork.

"Yes, it is good. But there are times when he can't get out of bed to go to school. He has nightmares about what happened against Piedmon when you didn't show up..." she shivered as she remembered that moment. She had been sent to look for him and did find him, but during the journey she herself had fallen into darkness. It had sucked every ounce of light out of her and she felt cold and alone. '_That was horrible...and without Joe I wouldn't have made it out of there.' _ "I failed in finding you...but...when I got back with Joe...somehow..." her head began to hurt as she tried to remember the events that had taken place. "Tai was okay...it was...weird."

"At least you defeated Piedmon and then Apocalymon." Matt replied absently. _'Good old dark magic at work. Of course they wouldn't remember that I was there. I helped Joe save Sora and then return to the others. I helped save Tai and fight off Piedmon. Then all of us fought together to destroy Apocalymon. All they remember is what happened before the big battles and right after, nothing more. They will never know that back then...I was still a good guy. I hadn't been completely turned by darkness. That came much later.'_

Sora forced him to look down at his shoes as she shaved off some of the hair from the back of his neck, "Yeah, it was a quite a feat to pull it off without you. I honestly didn't think we could do it."

"You had your fearless leader there." Matt muttered. _'Without me and my attack of conscience and loyalty...Tai wouldn't have made it out alive. He did because I came to save him. After they left the Digital World...'_

Matt's own history started to flash through his mind. He left the Digidestined after the fight with Tai. Spending a lot of time on his own, he stayed close to his team, but not close enough for them to notice. Cherrymon had visited many times during that time, nurturing his lust for power. Finally before the battle with Piedmon, he had gone fully away from his team. He had allied himself with Cherrymon who ultimately served Puppetmon. Puppetmon in turn, lusted for his own power and ascension within the ranks of the Dark Masters. With Piedmon gone...that would make him the strongest Dark Master around.

'_I wanted to defeat Tai, that was my clear goal, so I played along with Puppetmon's schemes until he outlived his usefulness.'_

Even though Matt had allied himself with Puppetmon, he still felt a connection to his team. It was decided that Matt would join his team to fight off Piedmon and then ultimately Apocalymon.

After the battle to destroy Apocalymon, Matt realized Puppetmon's lust for power and dominance would ultimately destroy the Digital World. Returning to Puppetmon's mansion, Matt ruthlessly destroyed the last Dark Master.

Blinking, Matt forced himself not to remember what happened after that. It was too painful and something he couldn't allow himself to remember. Without Gabumon there to remind him that it was okay, it was too hard to relive what happened next.

"He wasn't so fearless then. I think not having you there really took a toll on him." Sora answered softly as she molded his freshly cut hair into a hairstyle she thought would suit him.

"He did just fine. You all did. Plus that was a long time ago...not worth really discussing anyway. I'm sorry for what I did to TK, but this path has made me stronger, which is what I wanted."

Once she was satisfied with the back she stepped around the chair so she could mess with the front part of his hair. As she worked she'd find herself occasionally looking into his eyes and then quickly looking away before he'd say something to make it more awkward.

"I think...that all of us would have rather had you come home with us. Power is good and all but...what use is it when you're alone without anyone human to share it with?"

Sora's words hit him like a stake in the heart. That was his ultimate fear...he knew and remembered that from his time in darkness. _'I can't be alone...I hate being alone.'_

Then he remembered Cherrymon's words in his mind. _'What do you have to go home to anyway? Just a broken home. A father that's too busy for you and a mother and brother that aren't around. Stay here with your true friend and use your talents where they are most needed.'_

"I don't need anyone human. Gabumon has been more than enough."

That caused her to look back into his eyes, her hands still in his hair. "That isn't true is it? You just keep telling yourself that so you won't have to remember how alone you are. Of course Gabumon would never leave you...but there's a part inside of you that craves for human interaction. Maybe it's a tiny part," she leaned her forehead against his, "but it's still there."

"Human contact brings pain. Gabumon has never brought me pain. So...you're wrong Sora. I'd rather be with Gabumon for the rest of my life. He's my truest and loyal friend. I'd never want to be without him, that's why I didn't go home." Matt looked away, wishing he could take the last sentence back, but it was out now so no way to take it back.

She slowly moved back so her forehead wasn't against his anymore but she kept looking at him despite how he refused to make eye contact. '_You won't look at me after you said something like that? If everything you say is true, and you really meant it, then you wouldn't have let Mimi and I leave the Digital World. You would have killed us.' _

"It hurt me to leave Biyomon, but-" her hand moved from his hair to his chin, forcing him to look at her, "it hurt more to leave you behind. Even though I left her, I never once didn't think about how things would have been if I had stayed. We all wanted to stay Matt. None of us wanted to leave our friends behind. But there wasn't a choice. You weren't there in the end...we didn't know where you were but," she stood up straight, "I don't like the tone of your voice when you say all this stuff. It's like you blame us for leaving our friends behind. I would have stayed if I could, hell, I told you I wanted to stay with you and you tossed my words aside!"

Her eyes widened when her voice rang through the large kitchen, the sound bouncing off the metal utensils that hung from the ceiling above the island. Her head shot in the direction of the stairs and she waited for a few moments to see if there was any movement above. When there wasn't she sighed in relief.

Matt stood up and chuckled, "Told you. Manipulating humans is easy. She won't wake up, so yell all you want."

Her cheeks flushed, "I-I don't want to yell."

"That was a touchy subject, but...let me set you straight Sora. The one you should be furious with is Gennai. There was a choice and he didn't offer it to you."

"What?"

Matt reached over and cupped her cheek with his hand, "Poor Digidestined. You were fooled. I'm here before you, so...wouldn't it be obvious that there was a choice? Gennai said it would be impossible for you to stay, but...that's untrue. I stayed and I'm still standing. I aged just like you did, I didn't die from being in the Digital World. You should be furious with that old geezer."

Her eyes shook with emotion and she turned away from his touch, "I can't be upset with him. He protected us."

"Think what you will. It's true. You didn't need to leave Biyomon at all."

Sora shook her head, "Matt..."

"What?" he cocked his head, "I'm telling the truth."

"If I would have stayed...you would have hated me regardless."

Matt wanted to say that he didn't hate her, but was that really true? _'I should hate her because she is human and a Digidestined, but I don't think I fully hate her.'_

"Perhaps..."

Tears filled her eyes and she turned around and began to put the hair supplies away. '_Is he really gone? I don't want to give up...'_

"I need to go." he knelt down and the pieces of his hair disappeared into thin air.

Her eyes widened and she spun around. Sora moved and before she realized it she was kneeling down so they were eye level. She couldn't help but stare at him, even though she had tears running down her cheeks. Reaching out with a timid hand she pushed some of his hair aside and leaned in. Her lips touched his innocently, almost fearful of rejection.

At first Matt's eyes closed and he accepted the kiss. It was certainly different receiving a kiss for no reason rather than giving one, which he had done many times in order to seduce women. He marvelled at how soft her lips were. But, just as he finished that thought, he felt it smothered by his darkness. His eyes snapped open, widened, and then his hands moved.

He pushed her back and stood up, "I shouldn't have...I need to go." he disappeared in a puff of black smoke to escape before Sora had time to react to him.

Her back hit the island hard and she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them as she felt the sting of rejection. She knew it had been stupid to kiss him and yet she couldn't stop herself. More tears came and she hid her face in her knees as she quietly sobbed.

About half an hour later, another puff of smoke could be seen and Matt knelt down beside her.

"I mean it Sora, you need to find a nice human guy. I'm not a nice guy and I'm going to prove it. You need to see this." he took her hand in his, helping her to her feet.

She stopped, "No..."

"You need to see this." he reiterated his hand gripping hers. He sent magic through her and then turned back to her, "You'll see what I do for my Master. No one else is able to see you now."

Sora looked down at their hands, "It won't make me stop wanting to bring you home."

He shook his head and they disappeared. Soon they were in a smoke filled nightclub in New York City. Matt was in his element here. He ordered a few drinks near the bar and scouted for his potential victim. He knew to choose someone who wouldn't be missed. He settled on a woman that had danced provocatively with many men in the club. He watched and saw money exchange between her and a particular man. Bidding his time, he waited until she returned before approaching. It only took some smooth talking, mind trickery, and good looks to have her under his spell. He led her out into the parking lot, away from the lights of the club and street lamps.

A moment later, a portal opened and darkness flowed out. Matt only had to wait a moment before gloved hands reached out and took the woman from his arms. Immediately afterward, the portal closed.

Matt turned to look at a shocked Sora, "That girl won't be seen again. I go around the world, finding women and kidnapping them. It doesn't take much granted since some women are so gullible." Walking over to her, he touched her again, releasing the magic he had placed on her, "And this...is in Mimi Tachikawa's future. She will fall prey to this fate."

Sora gulped but reached out and held his hand, "I don't..." she struggled with words, "this doesn't change me believing in you. And Mimi...I don't think I can stand idly by and let this happen to her."

She stepped closer to him, her eyes downcast, "I'm sorry I...k-kissed you."

"I am not a good guy Sora. I'll always get what I'm commanded to get. Mimi will come one way or another. Master has ordered it since she came into the Digital World and it was forbidden."

"I still believe in you. This is one friend you aren't going to lose."

"Think what you will Sora. You know what I can do now." Matt stated evenly, "I'll take you back."

Sora leaned forward so her forehead rested against his arm, "Was it really that bad? Was my kiss that...terrible?"

"No, it wasn't terrible." he admitted, using his magic once again to transport them to Mimi's kitchen, "Go upstairs and get some sleep."

She still hung onto his hand. _'He's leaving again...'_

"I need to go out again. You are human and need sleep. Keep Mimi safe as long as you can, though I will get her eventually, especially since she's such a dope."

Sora wrapped her arms around him, "Be safe...will I see you again? You owe me for the haircut."

"I hope you don't see me again. If you do, it means something bad will happen."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a nice guy. How many times must I tell you?" He shook his head.

'_I don't believe you. Even though seeing you do what you do...I still see the light that is inside of you.'_

Sora closed her eyes, "A lot more."

"Good night." he said quietly, disappearing once again in front of her.

Sora frowned as she made her way to the living room where she fell on the couch. She wanted to cry some more but the tears wouldn't come.

There was a small patter of feet and then a quiet voice spoke, "Sora? You okay?"

Sora didn't look up, "Yeah..."

"Why are you up so early?" Mimi rubbed her eyes as she walked over to the couch.

"I...couldn't sleep..."

"Oh I'm so sorry Sora. You should have woken me up. Do you want some tea?" Mimi yawned.

"No thank you." Sora whispered.

Mimi put her hand on Sora's head, "Hey, let's go upstairs. I'll stay with you..."

Sora wanted to fall away into nothing, "I guess..."

"You sure you're okay? Did you have a bad dream?"

Sitting up Sora looked at Mimi and then she began to tell her about Matt. She left out the part about him coming to get her in the future. Instantly Mimi put her arms around Sora, "I'm so sorry you had to see that. I bet it was scary. Hey, why don't we call the gang and tell them we're coming back to Japan? I can come for a couple weeks and we can work out what to do."

Sora nodded her head, "Okay."

"I'll call Tai right away. Let's go." Mimi grabbed Sora's hand and took her upstairs. Reaching for her pink and glitz rhinestone phone, Mimi dialed Tai's number and then looked over at Sora, "Why don't you go ahead and lay down in my bed? You might feel better when someone is with you tonight."

Sora did as Mimi said, her mind still on Matt and her lips still tingling from their kiss.

Tai Kamiya's phone began to ring. The silence of the classroom taking a test was instantly broken and he was given dirty looks. Izzy couldn't help but snicker, knowing exactly who was calling based on the ringtone. Flying out of the classroom, Tai answered the phone, with a blush on his face.

"Hello?"

"Tai, I'm so sorry to call during school hours and you know I wouldn't call unless it's important. Do you have a few minutes?" Mimi said back.

Tai looked around as he walked down the hallway, "Sure, what's going on?"

"Well...I don't know how to tell you this but...Matt's alive. I saw him and Sora's seen him too. We need to gather the group and talk about what to do with this."

Tai pinched the bridge of his nose, "We do need to talk."

Mimi walked into her bathroom and shut the door. She lowered her voice as she sat on the closed toilet lid, "I'm scared honestly. You didn't see him but...he's not the same guy. His eyes were red. It gave me the creeps. He was just at my house too...he was talking to Sora. I think...Sora might be in real danger...as much as I hate to think that Matt might be a threat to us."

"We need to keep her away from him. She never thinks clearly when it comes to him."

"I'll try. She's going to sleep in my bed with me. I'll book a flight for as soon as possible, though it'd be much easier to go through the Digital World. Can you get the others together and we'll have a meeting as soon as Sora and I get there?"

"I'll handle things on this end. You two just get here safe." Tai stated.

"Keep Kari close okay? Who knows...they might decide she would be good to harass too. Especially..." Mimi gulped as she looked in the bathroom mirror, "she's the strongest of us all."

Tai nodded as he looked out a window, "I know, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her. Be careful Mimi, you were in the Digital World last, who knows what they might be thinking of to show you how wrong you were in going there."

Mimi gulped again and there was a small silence before she spoke, "I think there might be something done. It scares me, but I can't live in fear either. I can't let you guys take this all alone. We're a team and we need to support each other."

"And we will, you just need to be extra cautious." Tai explained patiently. He knew Mimi was scared by the tone of her voice. "We're all here for you."

"I'll email you the flight information." her brown eyes shook with worry, but she tried to focus on what to do next, not what could happen.

"I'll wait for it, keep a close eye on Sora, we don't want her running off and doing something stupid. That's something she'd do." Tai warned.

"I'll try, I promise. Sorry I interrupted you at school."

"Its fine, this was important."

Mimi twisted a lock of her honey colored hair around her finger, "By the way, I'll stay in Japan as long as we need to. My school is a lot easier to make up and less rigorous than Japanese school. I just wanted you to know that."

Tai shook his head, "That's very generous but once we have a plan figured out you should head back home. We don't want your parents worrying about anything they don't need to."

"Tai, that's not fair. I'm a part of this team too. My parents...well...they might not fully understand it, but I have a duty to this team. We've been through too much for me to just leave you guys to clean up a big mess. Plus hey, Matt was my teammate too you know."

"Mimi you know what I mean. Just because you'll go home doesn't make you less of a member of the team. I know you have a big project that is coming due so you have to finish that. Then you can rejoin us."

"I can do it in Japan..." Mimi reasoned.

"We both know that isn't true."

"Still..." Mimi muttered, not liking how Tai could beat her in an argument when he really wanted to, "I could just fail and I'd be okay with that."

"You aren't going to do that. We can handle things just fine until after your assignment is finished." Tai stated.

Mimi stuck her tongue out, "I really should just move back to Japan and make this all easier. You want to come and convince my parents to let me be emancipated?"

Tai chuckled, "I don't think that'd go over well."

"Why not? I could just say I'm going to live with you. 3 people in a bedroom wouldn't be too bad." Mimi joked.

"They'd never go for that, neither would my parents."

"Kari would love it and you might be out on the couch."

Students began to filter out of the classroom. Tai looked at them than at the clock that hung on the wall, "Sorry Mimi but I gotta go, get some rest and catch the next flight out that you can get. Plus...watch after Sora." He gave her the rundown once again.

"I'll do that. Have a good time in class and try not to worry too much."

"Same to you. Thanks for calling me and letting me know what's happens."

"You're welcome. Bye Tai." Mimi hung up and walked back into her bedroom to join Sora. She sat in the bed next to Sora and began to browse for flights on her phone. "We're going home as soon as we can."

Sora idly pulled at the fabric of the borrowed nightgown she was wearing. "It'll be good to go home."

'_He'll come for Mimi, I don't know when but he seemed really serious. I can't let her be taken away without trying to stop it.' _Laying back in Mimi's big bed Sora closed her tired eyes. It had been a long time since she last cried like that.

"It will. I miss Japan all the time. In fact, I am trying to get my parents to legally emancipate me so I can go to high school there and live my life there."

Sora blinked, "I highly doubt they're going to let you do that." '_Mimi living alone? That's a disaster waiting to happen.' _ Sora thought silently.

"I think I've almost persuaded them to let me go to school in Japan. They know I'm not as happy as I could be."

Sora looked at the ceiling as she pictured Mimi living alone in Japan. She could just see her not knowing what to do when the toilet clogged or when the garbage disposal stopped working right. '_It'd be a mess, but...she would be happier I'm sure. And it'd be nice for all of us to have her back.' _

"Listen to me...I'm so sorry. I'm talking your ear off. I tend to do that. You need to get some sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"The time difference is throwing me off...but I probably should get some sleep." Sora agreed softly.

"Yeah, you really should. You might feel better if you do."

With that Sora closed her eyes to attempt to sleep. It probably was futile since she'd endured so much in the last couple of hours, but at least it was good to try.

* * *

Despite the chatter from Joe as they rode back from the airport, Mimi felt anxiety. She knew this meeting would be tense and she was never a fan of tension. In her mind, it was always better for everyone to get along.

'_There's going to be so much debate on what to do with Matt. I...I'm worried for my safety, but...I think everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone has good in them. So, Matt deserves the chance to come back to us.'_

Joe, trying his best to fill the silence and ease Mimi's mind, was talking to her about what college in Japan was like. Even though he was 18 and should have been in his last year of high school, he had graduated last year and was pursuing university with earnest. He hardly had time for anything besides studying, so his skills of conversation and flirting were sorely lacking. Mimi had known for years that Joe liked her. He had just never actually asked her. _'Honestly though...I can't picture Joe as anything more than a friend and an older brother. I feel bad...I should just tell him that, but it's kinda cute to watch him try to flirt.'_

Joe glanced back at Sora in the rearview mirror, "Sora, you okay? Did you not sleep well? You look exhausted."

Sora snapped back, her eyes turning to lock with Joe's in the mirror, "I'm okay, thanks Joe." was all that left her mouth before she returned her attention back to the window. Everything felt surreal for her now; being in the car with Joe and watching the people file along the sidewalks like usual...it all felt strange to her. '_I don't understand what is going on with me. I'm home, where I'm supposed to feel relieved and safe, and yet,' _her hands clenched into fists, '_I don't. When will he strike? When will Mimi be stripped from us? This group can't take another loss, if she gets taken...we'll fall apart. Especially Tai. He's never been the same since Matt left the group and stayed in the Digital World. If Mimi gets taken away from him too...I hate to think how he'll react.' _

Pulling into a parking garage, Joe parked the car and opened the doors for everyone just like a gentleman. It was decided that everyone would meet at Izzy's house since that seemed to be a favorite meeting place before now.

Joe escorted the two ladies up to the elevator and then up to the Izumi apartment. They were invited in by Mrs. Izumi who was getting much more used to her son inviting the Digidestined over. She was more than happy to have her son's friends come over, since when he was younger, she thought he might struggle making friends.

When Izzy opened his bedroom door for everyone, he moved aside so they could get in. Mimi smiled at Tai, but noticed that TK and Kari were absent.

"Where's TK and Kari? Aren't they coming?"

"They're on a school trip to Okinawa and around those parts." Tai answered as he pulled out his D-terminal, "But I've been messaging Kari and she says if we need them she'll simply open up a gate and come back. I don't want to have to do that though, since it's rare they get to go on a school trip without being interrupted by some chaos."

"That and the gates haven't been working right." Sora spoke, her voice soft. Tai glanced over at her and got to his feet. It didn't take him long to get to her and to push some of her hair away from her face, "You don't look well Sora...maybe you should rest and we'll come up with a plan."

Sora shook her head, "I'll be fine Tai, I'm just a little tired, nothing I can't handle."

He wanted to call her bluff but seeing as Izzy had just shut the door he knew this wasn't the time. Patting her shoulder he moved back to the office chair he had been sitting in before they had arrived, "I'm glad that the two of you were able to catch the first flight out. You're looking great Mimi, I'm glad that you aren't too jet lagged as of yet."

"Thank you, you're so sweet." Mimi smiled as she sat on the edge of Izzy's bed, "I suppose we should get started leader."

Tai nodded, "Right, so I filled Izzy and Joe in on what Mimi called me about yesterday. It seems we can't just sit idly by anymore and allow Matt to have his free roam in the Digital World. Things have gotten worse since Ken was there doing his terrible things. From the sounds of it...Matt is even worse than him."

"Definitely not, but we need a plan. We can't go marching in without one." Joe commented.

"Yes we do. The first thing we should do is work on getting into the Digital World, and hopefully without alerting Matt to our presence."

"That's going to be hard." Sora spoke, "Because Mimi was there not even for a minute and he noticed. He's powerful Tai...much more powerful than before. He has powers that human's shouldn't have. And yet..." she swallowed, "he's still human."

Tai listened intently to what Sora said, "Am I right in guessing that you've been talking to him Sora?"

The room grew tense and Sora stiffened. She knew it was futile to lie but she didn't want to tell him what she had talked to Matt about. Nor did she want to remember what had happened the night previous. The kiss flashed in her mind against her will and she closed her eyes tightly to try to force the feeling and image away.

"Sora?" Tai repeated her name when it became clear she wasn't going to say anything. He sighed, "We really need to know this stuff if we want to come up with a plan."

"She has." Mimi piped in, looking at her hands that were in her lap, "I know Sora has spoken with him more than once. He hasn't hurt her, so that shows he's still got good in him."

He shared a look with Izzy before speaking again, "If he's made contact with her more than once we have to assume that he'll do it again. When that happens Sora we need you to talk to him and get more information out of him about what he's doing and why he's doing it."

Sora mildly heard Tai's voice, but mostly she was ignoring him. The thought of running into Matt again sent a weird feeling through her entire body. '_If that happened...what would he show me? I'm sure he'd want to solidify the fact that he's 'bad' and that I shouldn't keep holding out for him. Even though he says that I...I still want to believe in him. I want to believe that he has some traits of the boy I knew five years ago.' _

Izzy nodded, "Once we know Matt's intentions, it'll make it easier to devise a plan."

"Or...we don't have to wait for him to just drop in." Mimi looked at the others around her, "He's made his intentions regarding me clear. I violated some law in the Digital World and he's intent on punishing me. Why not have him come on our terms instead of waiting for him?"

"Because I'm not using you as bait." Tai stated firmly, "Like you said he's spoken to Sora a couple of times and hasn't hurt her. Which means he probably won't hurt her, even though I don't like the idea of him talking to her." He leaned forward, the office chair keeping him from falling forward since he was sitting on it backwards, "Who knows what he'll do to you Mimi. And if we are too slow in reacting...we could lose you to him and I won't have that happen."

"I appreciate that you care Tai, I really do." Mimi's soft brown eyes met his darker ones, "I can see why your plan is a safer one, but...do we have tons of time to wait for Matt to make a move? I'm worried about the Digimon. I was there...the Digital World isn't a safe place. It's been corrupted worse than I've ever seen it."

"I realize that, but I'm not going to take the chance, I'm sorry." He looked to his right at Izzy who was typing on his desktop computer, "What do you think Izzy? Joe? I'm sure you guys have your own thoughts."

"I don't think Mimi should be risking herself. It's too dangerous." Joe said, his affection for Mimi was quite obvious.

"Logically, it is a conundrum. Mimi is right on the one hand that we have no time to lose and bringing Matt to us might work in our favor. On the other hand, risking a teammate in this type of situation could be disastrous." Izzy said, continuing to type on his computer, "I think for now, until further information is gleaned, caution is the best course of action."

Tai looked over at Sora but seeing as she wasn't really paying attention he returned to Mimi, "While your idea was a good one we're going to save on the back burner for now all right? If the wait becomes too long...then our hands will be tied and there won't be anything else for us to do but that. Izzy's right, we need to gather more information before we can come up with a solid plan. For now the two of you need to rest and get your strength up. It was a long flight you guys just did so I'm sure you're feeling it."

"I suggest we drop Sora at her house then. Sleeping in your own dwelling produces the most restful sleep." Izzy piped in.

Mimi nodded, "Sora hasn't been sleeping well. We can drop her off and then I can drop by my hotel and unpack. I'm not so tired since I slept on the plane. I knew jet lag would be worse if I tried sleeping in the middle of the day here and messing up my internal clock."

"Right," Tai got to his feet, "I can walk Sora home since she lives close to my place. Joe want to drive Mimi to her hotel?"

"Of course." Joe replied easily.

"Tai, you were going to take Kari to the festival on Temple Hill, but she's not here. Why not take Mimi instead?" Izzy suggested.  
Tai didn't like being put on the spot like that but he easily let it slide off his shoulders, "Sure, that'd be fine, if you want to go that is." He said to Mimi.

"I love festivals! They don't do them as well in New York! I'd love to come!" Mimi grinned with excitement.

"Great, it'll be fun."

"Yes, I'll just get my yukata and we can go. I love the little goldfish game, even though I never win and I can't have fish." Mimi chattered on excitedly, not paying attention to anyone else at that moment.

Tai laughed, "It isn't today."

"When is it? Don't you think that's an important detail to share?"

"A few days from now."

"Oh, I guess I'll have to wait until then." Mimi stated.

The room was still after that. Clearing his throat Tai looked at Joe, "Is it okay if you take her to her hotel? I'll help Sora home. We need to rest and gather again tomorrow."

Joe stood up and offered his arm to Mimi. Grabbing her purse, Mimi stood up, "Sora, you going to be okay until I see you again? Would you like to come to the hotel with me?"

Sora looked up from her lap, "I'll be fine, thanks Mimi."

"Okay then. Lead the way Joe."

Joe was more than happy to escort Mimi out. He wasn't so happy to hear that Tai was taking Mimi to the festival, but there was nothing to do now.

Izzy chuckled from his computer chair, "That was impressive work Tai. You have the courage in you after all."

Tai yawned, "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"I really don't."

"Come now Tai. This isn't quantum physics, though I can show you that if you'd like. I have a deep respect for Joe and I can tell his...feelings are genuine, but he's not the best choice for our young minded female friend. Supposedly you have started down the road towards courtship customs being fulfilled."

Tai rolled his eyes, "I'm not even going to comment on that." He walked over to Sora and took her arm, helping her to her feet. "C'mon Sora, let's get you home."

She didn't say anything in response so he lead her towards Izzy's door. "Izzy keep working on getting a digital portal open. That's the first step we need, and try to find a way to conceal us from Matt, that'd be helpful."

"I'll do my best, but...he's one of us. It might be hard to fully conceal ourselves."

"There has to be something." Tai exclaimed as he pulled the door open. "I know you'll be able to find what that is."  
"I'll certainly consult with Gennai and see what I can find." Izzy replied, his stomach turning nervously since he knew this was a large task.

Tai nodded, "Thanks Izzy."

Izzy turned back to his computer, determined to at least try to find a way that could help his team. _'Heaven help us though...Matt is one of us. It wasn't ever meant for us to hide from one of our own.'_


	4. Chapter 4

Hello readers! I am very excited to post chapter 4. This chapter represents the calm before the storm and let me tell you…a HUGE storm is brewing! Myself and my writing partner are quite happy with how the story is turning out. We do have an advisement that we would like to start making you aware of.

We will be upping the rating on the story very soon. That means this story's rating will change from T to M. In good conscience we feel this is needed, but we would like to explain our thoughts behind this. By chapter 6, there will be more content that is considered more adult aka sexual content (but not graphic in nature) and more coarse language.

We are sorry if this offends anyone, but we would rather be safe than sorry. One last request…**Please review! This story only has 8 reviews. We got 6 for chapter 1 (we were cheering), 1 each for chapters 2 and 3 (so depressing!). Please let us know if you enjoy or if we are failing in our story. It really makes our day when we get a review email. Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 4-Shifting Tides

Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya stood in the crowd watching their son play in a soccer tournament for the school. The oppressive heat of the summer was near unbearable.

Mimi Tachikawa held up a sign she and Sora had made to cheer Tai on. There was 30 seconds left and the game was tied up. The seconds ticked by and the crowd anticipated the move that would possibly win the game. Tai kicked the ball with all his might at the last second and it blew through the net.

The crowd roared and Tai was lifted onto his teammates shoulders. His parents and Mimi rushed down into the mass to congratulate the winners. It took a few moments before Tai could be released.

His mother hugged him and his father thumped his back. Mimi waited a few steps away for her chance. _'It's been so nice to just be able to enjoy being here. I really do miss being a part of my friend's lives.'_

Tai grinned at his parents and talked with them as they continued to talk to him with enthusiasm. After a few moments he ducked away from them and walked over to Mimi, "Hey," he looked around her and frowned when he didn't see his best friend with her, "Sora didn't come huh?"

"She wasn't feeling well today." Mimi said quietly. _'She is worried about Matt. I think that's affecting her, but what can I say?'_

Several emotions played across Tai's face but after a moment he smiled at her, "At least she has you here to help look after her. Normally she would be going through something like this alone since us guys don't fully understand the female mind and all."

"I'm trying. It's hard. The whole Matt thing has hit her pretty hard. As much as she doesn't want to talk about it...I think she loves him. She understood him well when they were kids."

Tai placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her away from the loud talk that was going on around them. When they reached the bleachers he sat down on one, "You really think she loves him? That's the last thing I wanted to hear, even though part of me guessed that was the case."

"It makes sense." Mimi looked at the field, knowing this would hurt Tai since he too had once had very strong feelings for Sora. _'He might still have those feelings. Who knows...you don't forget your first love...or so the saying goes.' _

"Those two were close remember? Though, you and Sora were much closer. You two are really a great match. Perhaps to save Sora from the heartache, you should...well..." Mimi smiled coyly, "you know...go out with Sora. Get her mind off Matt. Plus you two are athletes so you'd be the perfect couple."

Tai shook his head, a laugh leaving his lips, "Nah, tried that already. She wasn't in it. We dated for like a month and then she broke it off. Even back then I think I knew that bastard had her heart. The prick doesn't deserve it either."

Mimi put her hand on his arm, feeling bad that the relationship he ultimately wanted didn't work out, "I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved her. It was obvious."

"Its been a while so I've gotten to the point where I'm okay with it." He shrugged. His brown eyes locked with her eyes, "So the festival is tonight, you still up for it? Hard to believe you've been here for three days already huh?"

"I've been looking forward to it. My yukata is ready when you are. I assume you want to go to the after parties for the game and get showered."

Tai got to his feet, "Nah, the after parties can just go on without me. It'll be funner to get ready and spend time with you then to be around boys that talk about music and chicks." he laughed when he saw the shocked expression on her face, "Is it really hard to believe I'd rather spend time with my friend that lives in New York rather than be with my teammates that I see all the time?"

Mimi laughed, "I thought you would love to discuss music and chicks with your buddies, that's all."

"Believe me it isn't that fun." Tai stated as he helped her stand by taking her hand in his and pulling her up.

"Well thank you for being willing to come. I have always loved festivals and I miss not having them in New York."

He was surprised that he was reluctant to release her hand, but he did so anyway. "No I should be thanking you. If you weren't coming with me I'd probably be dragging Izzy along with me and he wouldn't have liked that much."

Mimi giggled as they walked away from the soccer field, weaving through the crowds, "No, Izzy likes his computers. He wouldn't like the noises of festivals at all."

"But he would have come anyway," Tai commented, "because he's a good friend like that. Despite that I'm sure he's glad you were more than happy to come with me."

"Plus he would be embarrassed to wear a yukata." she pointed out.

"True."

"It'll be interesting to see you in one Mr. Kamiya." Mimi's eyebrow rose, "I wonder if you're brave enough to wear one."

Tai chuckled, "I do own one, and I've worn it several times in fact. I'm not afraid of it."

"Good, then we'll be a good pair."

They continued to walk in silence for a few feet. They had to wait at a traffic light since it had just turned green. Tai glanced over at Mimi and couldn't help but marvel at how much she had changed since the days they were in the Digital World fighting monsters. Sure she was still that slightly clueless girl but at the same time, there was a strength there had hadn't been present before. By just looking at her now he could see it clearly. There was a toughness behind her eyes that hadn't existed before, it was probably because she'd learned some hard lessons back in New York. '_I wonder if she'll ever tell me the whole story about what went down between her and Michael. I know is she called me after she broke up with him in tears. It was hard for me to pinpoint why she was crying since she was the one that had broken up with him, hopefully someday she'll be able to tell me.' _

"Do you want to get a cab so we can go to your place? You need to shower and change right?"

Tai pointed to the subway that was across the street, "Why get a cab when we can ride the good old subway? I'm sure you've ridden the one in New York a lot but you gotta admit, its nothing like the one here."

Mimi blinked for a moment and then nodded, "Sometimes I've ridden the subway. Not too often. My parents were always worried about me being accosted or something. I only rode it a few times."

"Really? Wow, everyone rides the subway here. Its just a normal part of life."

The crosswalk light turned on and Tai took her hand in his and started across. Through the corner of his eye he saw her blush. Mimi felt slightly strange at feeling his skin against hers. _'Stop being weird. He just doesn't want to lose you. He probably still likes Sora.'_

"I'm glad I won't get lost or accosted. Thanks." She said, squeezing his hand.

"Of course, always here to help ya, you know that."

"Well I might need help with what to do when we're down there. Its been a while since I rode."

"It'll rush back to you."

"What are you excited to do at the festival?" She inquired curiously.

Tai shrugged, "I like the fireworks the best."

"Me too! We gotta get a good spot okay?"

Tai grinned down at her, "We'll have to leave the games early for that."

"Okay, you have a place in mind?" Mimi's eyes lit up.

"Sure, just stick with me."

Looking up, Mimi smiled, "Highton View Terrace hasn't changed at all. So many memories here."

"That's for sure." He agreed before leading her down the stairs to the subway.

"I still remember when you came to the convention center and rescued me while you were looking for your family. That's the only time you've seen me in my pajamas. Do you remember that?"

"That was a long time ago."

She nodded as they entered the tunnels of the subway, "It was. We were children then."

Tai went to the machine and purchased a ticket for her. He then pulled his pass out of the wallet and soon they were waiting for the train to come, "A lot has changed since then."

"You're older and wiser. A stronger leader."

"I gave those reigns to Davis last year...but its fun to think of the good old days."

"You'll always be our leader. Us oldies can't answer to Davis."

"He's a good kid."

"I didn't say he wasn't. I just said you'll always be _our_ leader."

The train pulled up and they boarded, "Thanks Mimi."

"You're very welcome." Mimi replied simply, knowing all she had done was speak truth.

The ride didn't take long as they reached the stop that was closest to Tai's apartment. He helped her up from the seat and they were off. Soon they arrived and while Tai changed into his yukata, Mimi chatted with Mrs. Kamiya and eventually Mr. Kamiya too. Mrs. Kamiya stole away to check her son's yukata. She straightened the tie that held the yukata closed, "Take care of that special young lady hear me dear?"

"I know Mom, you don't have to remind me."

"And make sure to be a gentleman. I love you deeply, so I have to tell you that sometimes you don't notice others as well as you should, especially young ladies." his mother laughed, "But...I could tell by the way you looked at her...that she meant something to you. That's the way your father looked at me when we were young."

Tai's eyes fell to his feet, "I've always been looking after her, its second nature to me."

"I meant her feelings my son. It's hard though, so I don't blame you. Your father struggles with understanding women too and he's been married to one for years." Mrs. Kamiya kissed her son's forehead, "Someday, you'll make a good husband for a great young lady. But for today, go have fun and enjoy this one's company."

"I will." He promised.

"Make sure that she gets back by her curfew okay? I wouldn't want to have to explain to her parents in New York why my son was irresponsible." she said as she walked with him down the hall towards the living room.

"I know all this Mom."

Mimi stood up when Tai came into the living room. She beamed at him, "You do look really good Tai. We'll fit right in at the temple."

"We better head back to your hotel so you can change."

"Ready when you are."

"Let us go."

They waved to Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya before setting off again. It was another short train ride to the lavish hotel that Mimi's parents had put her up in. They rode the elevator to the top floor and then Mimi used a keycard to open the front door and a key to open the double doors that led into her hotel room. She barely noticed anything, but she could see Tai's eyes widen at the posh living space.

"My parents got this hotel room for me. I would have been fine staying with Sora." Mimi shrugged, "But since you're here, can I get you anything while you wait? You can make yourself comfortable on the couch in the sitting room or on my bed."

Tai walked to the couch, "This is great, thanks."

"I'll just be a few minutes." Mimi walked past the sitting room and towards the bedroom and huge walk in closet.

"Okay." Tai stated as he looked around the sitting room. '_I could never give a girl this kind of life.'_

Mimi fussed over herself in the closet and then again in the bathroom when she reapplied her make up and put her hair up. She held it together with some pins and silk cherry blossoms. Looking herself over in the mirror again and blowing out a breath she was holding in, she started to walk back to the sitting room. _'Why am I so nervous? It's just Tai. I've known him for years. It's not like anything too big will happen. We're just going as friends. It's like when Michael and I would do things after we broke up and he was seeing Yolei.'_

She grabbed her silk bag from just outside the bathroom door that held her essentials and then made her way to the sitting room. Taking just a second to watch Tai comfortably sitting on the couch flipping channels, she shuffled into the room, "Sorry for the wait. I'm ready to go."

He smiled when he looked at her, "You look amazing."

"Thank you. I tried my best, which is why it took me a little longer." she closed the distance until she was standing by him.

"Well you did a great job."

"We better get going. We need to get some games in before we get a great spot for fireworks. Do we need to bring a blanket or something to sit on or are we good?"

Tai just took her hand, "We're good."

"Okay," she nodded, her cheeks warming again, but she didn't stop him from taking her hand.

Tai and Mimi made their way to the festival on temple hill. There were tons of people there enjoying the fun and games. At one point Tai helped up a little boy that had tripped in front of him. Helping to brush him off Tai talked to him and made sure he was okay. The little boy nodded his head and quickly dashed away. Tai stood up and watched as the boy vanished in the crowd, "Hopefully he really is okay."

"He looked okay. Children are pretty resilient."

"Yeah."

"I want to play that goldfish game and win you a goldfish." Mimi giggled, watching the people at the booth trying to catch a goldfish.

Tai glanced at it with a raised eyebrow, "You know those are rigged right?"

"Oh come on...they aren't rigged." Mimi frowned, the child in her didn't want to think that people would rig a game.

"It so is," he watched as a guys fishing tool broke, "they weaken them before use."

"That's mean of them! I wanted to get you a fish..." she looked at the pond with the goldfish in it.

"I don't need it, but thanks for the thought."

Walking through the stalls, Mimi seemed to float on air as she walked. It was so fun just to go to the food stands and games with Tai. Both of them were enjoying the coolness of the night and the traditions of their native country. _'I really need to convince my parents to let me move back. This is the happiest I've been in a long time. I really miss the land I was born and spent my childhood in. There's nothing that compares.'_

She handed Tai a piece of octopus meat on a stick and ordered herself some chocolate rice balls. They ate them together, walking and holding hands.

Tai guided Mimi through people as they walked up the hill where they'd be sitting to watch the fireworks. A yellow blanket came into view and he helped her sit. Plopping down beside her he looked up into the night sky, "We'll be able to see them good from here."

"We should. This has been so much fun, thank you." she looked up at the night sky.

"You are very welcome."

"I haven't had this much fun with a guy in a long time. It's probably been close to two years now." Mimi thought back, "Since Michael and I back in New York...wow...that was a long time ago."

Tai was surprised, "Really? Well I'm glad you have had fun."

She glanced over at him and one of her eyebrows rose slightly, "I really am. It's really nice to go out and just have fun. No expectations or anything. Michael and I started out that way. Not that I need to or even want to bore you with the stories of him." she turned her head back up to the stars, not really wanting to revisit that place again.

Tai watched her for a few moments and then his attention was brought to the sky as the fireworks began to go off. Replacing the sadness with joy, Mimi watched the fireworks with Tai. She grinned by the end and both of them were happy and laughing at the finale. When they stood up, Mimi folded the blanket with ease, "This was awesome. Maybe I can pick you up from school sometime and we can do some more fun things."

He nodded, "Sure, just let me know before hand in case I have things I have to do at home."

"Oh, I think I can convince your mother pretty easily. She said she hopes someone like me might be her daughter in law. Of course being full Japanese would be helpful, bloodline issues and all." Mimi shrugged as she put the blanket over her folded arms.

Tai rubbed his eye, "Don't take everything my mother says seriously, 90 percent of the time she's crazy."

"What she said made perfect sense though. You are the oldest and only son."

"And? I'll marry who I want, she isn't going to make that choice. If she did I could end up being married to..." he paused and laughed, "nevermind, lets get you back before it gets later."

"You'd end up married to Sora." Mimi finished his sentence for him as she started to walk down the hill.

He followed after her, "No that'd never happen."

"Not now...at least not without divine intervention. Sora is smitten with Matt."

"Why that is I don't know."

"Love is a mysterious thing. My grandma is still wondering why my father married my mother, but they are married. It's not like you can control fully who you fall for."

"But he hasn't even been around."

Mimi giggled, "Doesn't matter. When you love someone, it doesn't go away, especially your first. It really doesn't matter to her whether he has been here with us or not. She just sees that he's a good person, a protector with a serious hero complex, and...also partially someone she can try to fix." her liquid brown eyes looked over at him with amusement, "Some girls like to or gravitate towards boys that are broken or lacking something. It's not something you really consciously think about, but you are attracted to that type. You have to admit, knowing Matt's history...he's got a lot of broken parts and angst in him."

Tai rolled his eyes, "He could sometimes be so helpless."

"How so?" Mimi asked curiously, wondering what Tai really thought about his former best friend.

"Well before he left the group he'd have more than a few breakdowns. He tended to overthink things."

"Sometimes. You and him are quite similar. Both of you have robust Hero and Brotherly Complexes."

"Perhaps."

"But...you have both your parents in your life. Matt didn't have much of a motherly influence in his from what I understood."

"True."

"I'm sure you've heard that when the Ishida's divorced...it was nasty. A few years after Matt disappeared...it was all over the news since they thought maybe his parents were somehow involved in his disappearance. That kind of divorce had to be traumatizing for a 7 year old to endure. I honestly feel bad for Matt and can see why he kinda is the way he is."

Tai didn't fully agree with Mimi so he just shrugged and didn't say anything else on the subject. Letting the silence stretch on, Mimi shook her head. _'I do completely see why Matt has so much angst and problems in his life, but...that doesn't mean he gets to do what he does to others. Palmon told me a few more things that Matt's done in the Digital World. Tai would flip his lid if he knew everything. Matt has done some really horrible things, but...we're going to give him a chance to change, just like Ken.'_

* * *

Rushing down the polished halls of Odaiba High School, Izzy Izumi slid on the floor in front of the door to class 2B. He huffed a bit as he walked over to where Tai and Sora were congregated by the window.

"I...have...good news...from Gennai." he huffed and puffed as he joined them. He took a deep breath and then continued, "I've been working with Gennai my task. Unfortunately it is completely impossible to cloak us completely from Matt. Simply put, it was never intended for a Digidestined to turn completely against his team in the first place. Anyway, what Gennai and I were able to do was in essence confuse the senses. When we enter the Digital World, instead of Matt being able to pinpoint us right away, he will have a general area sense of where we are. It will buy us a little more time."

Tai leaned back in his seat, his arms folded, "Well that's better than nothing I suppose. Good work Izzy."

"Thanks, I'll continue to work with Gennai, but at this moment, that is the best thing we can do. As I said, it was never intended for us to be fighting one of our own like this."

Sora twirls some hair around her finger, "No one was expecting something like that to happen. I guess we have to work with what we have."

Tai was surprised she had even spoken at all. For the past week she'd ignored everyone and rarely came out of her house. '_It's progress, hopefully she keeps moving in a positive direction.' _

"We'll need to get this information to Joe. Will you do that Izzy or did you want me to?"

"I can send him what he'll need. What's our next move?"

"We wait until Kari and T.K. get back and then we decide when we head in."

"I will continue to keep an eye on the Digital World and will report back with any news."

"Thanks," Tai sighed, "this is a big mess, hopefully we can clean it up and put it behind us."

"I agree. I should go. Sora, it's good to see you at school today." Izzy said politely.

Sora glanced up from her notebook, "Oh, thanks Izzy."

Izzy left just before the sensei arrived to teach the class. At least now they were getting closer to a solution that would clean up the mess that started so long ago.

* * *

Matt knelt on the cold stone floor in front of his Master's throne. He had been back in the Digital World for days now and yet in his mind's eye, he couldn't escape his last encounter with Sora. _'I don't understand why she would be wanting to interact with me. Shouldn't she have been like Mimi and ran away in fear? What is it that she sees in me that is worth saving?'_

He ran his finger over his lips and then shivered in distaste. _'I can't believe she kissed me either. What was all that about? I don't see anything in that except the physical pleasure that can come from kissing more than once. There is no other reason to kiss someone.'_

He certainly didn't see a purpose in why Sora would choose not to go running to Tai about being around him. After all, it seemed that her and Tai were close. It wouldn't surprise him if those two had become quite close and intimate in the last couple years. _'Tai always liked Sora and yet he never had the backbone to do anything about it. I wonder if she had to seduce him.'_

He chuckled at the thought and then he bowed his head when his Master entered and sat on his throne.

"Master," Matt breathed, putting his fist across his chest and over his heart, "what is your will?"

"The next phase in our plan must begin. Digimon are starting to uprise, thinking they can call their human partners to come help them out of this situation. I want you to go to the human world and bring that girl to me. I want to make sure the other Digimon never think to call for their human partner again."

"What do you intend to do with her?"

A sneer curled up and there was a small laugh of delight from his master. "It would serve our purposes to kill her, but I have a much better plan."

'_Why not just kill her Master? It'd be a lot easier and faster on our part.'_ Matt thought as he waited for a continued explanation.

"I want you to bring her to the Digital World and I will submerge her into darkness just as I did with you. She will turn fully to my purposes and I will use her for them." his eyes almost seemed to dance in sick glee, "I'll have a much more constant blood supply, though I will still occasionally send you for more in the human world. Also, she will be my Queen."

Matt snorted, "Her? The Gekomon thought she was Princess material, but seriously..."

His master's mood instantly changed and Matt felt a tightening on his chest, like his heart was being squeezed by an invisible fist. He doubled over in pain. A few moments later, the pain slowly began to subside.

"Do not question my purposes! She will be my Queen and have her own part to play in this! You will go to the human world and get her now! See that you don't fail!"

Matt's legs seemed to move on his own and he was walking away from his Master's throne. It would certainly take work to kidnap her seamlessly and without being caught, but he had done it before. Surely he could do it again.

It only took him a few minutes to get into his own portal. He calmed his mind and willed it to open up to finding where his target was. He smiled when he felt her bubbly and pure presence in his being. She was just getting off the plane in New York City. It was the middle of the night there and he could sense that she would be making one stop before she went to the baggage claim to get her suitcases.

'_Perfect. There won't be any cameras there. I can just snatch her and no one will know.'_

Entering the portal, he was whisked in a whirl of colors to the human world. He looked around, orienting himself and then he realized he was right where he needed to be. The stall door in front of him was closed, but he knew he was about to have company.

'_Never kidnapped a girl from the restroom before. This should be entertaining.'_

He heard the click of high heels meeting the tiled floor and soon she was in the stall next to him. She did her business and soon exited the stall and began to wash her hands. This was the time...if he didn't do it now, he'd miss his chance. He opened the stall door and their eyes met as she looked up from her hands.

'_I have her now.'_ he thought as he saw the recognition in her eyes followed by his power taking over her. All his power required was eye contact and then he would have a woman under his power.

She stayed still letting the water run over her hands like she was in a trance. Matt reached over and turned off the faucet. Their eyes met again as she looked up at him and then hers began to slide closed. Her body soon couldn't support her weight and automatically Matt caught her. She was surprisingly light to him as he carried her to a wall near the hand dryers where the portal appeared to take him back.

'_Mission accomplished. Now the real fun begins...'_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey this is Kurosaki girl 0890. I was asked by White Moon Princess to post this on her account since she is currently busy. I hope this chapter is well received like the last chapter was. In regards to some incidents that happened with last chapter I just wanted to say that we're writing this together because we love Digimon and since we do and this is indeed our story, we're the ones that are in control of what happens in it. If you choose not to like it that's perfectly fine. But we can't please every single person out there. However, most, if not all of you, have been terrific! It makes the long hours that go into this worth it. So I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for the reviews you send our way. Please continue to support us in this journey!

I'll also say this...we've written many chapters ahead so a weekly update is almost assured by this point. We did have thoughts of turning this into two books but with many discussions we decided one book is plenty and we'll be able to manage it nicely. Thanks so much for reading and following us on this story!

* * *

Chapter 5- Flip Flop

The beach was mostly empty since the weather had begun to turn cold. Sora walked alongside the shoreline, her hands in the pockets of her school uniform jacket pockets. For once she was contemplating why she hemmed her skirt to the shortest the school allowed. In the winter months it was a terrible idea. '_Mimi's gone now...its hard to get back to normal with her back in New York. It was fun having her here even though I wasn't really in the best state of mind.' _ Her eyes went to the sunset that was turning the sky a mix of reds, '_But who could blame me? I'm so confused about Matt and everything that involves him. Why does my heart react the way it does when I think of him? And why am I crazy enough to keep chasing him, wanting to help him?' _

Hands covered her eyes like children would do when they wanted their friends to guess who was covering their eyes. Hair touched her cheek as it fell past it and the strong but strangely sexy smell of cologne filled her nostrils.

"Guess who?" a familiar deep voice asked playfully.

Her heart jumped in her chest and she felt like she couldn't breath for a moment. "M-matt, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you." he said simply, not removing his hands. Part of him kinda liked how her heart and her body had jumped at his presence. He could almost feel a little bit of her nervousness and sexual tension, though he still couldn't understand why she felt anything for him at all.

"I'm guessing it isn't for a good reason so...before you can give me that 'talk' I want something before I'll listen." she replied, not moving from her spot in the sand. A part of her was afraid that if she moved he'd suddenly vanish again, leaving her alone.

"What's that?" he asked her curiously.

A smile spread across her face, "I'm hungry and I want ramen."

"Ramen? Since when did you like that?"

"Since now?" she slowly turned around and locked her eyes with his.

"I assume there is a shop around here. Very well, I'll get you ramen." he answered. _'Why does it matter if I get her ramen or not? I should just tell her and leave. What's wrong with me?'_

"And a rice ball?"

"Maybe, if you're good." he teased.

Sora nudged his chest with her hand, "I'm always good so you'll be paying up with that rice ball."

"I don't know...you are sometimes trouble."

"How so?"

"Because trouble always seems to find you." he stated as they began to walk into the streets towards the smells of ramen.

She put her hands back in her jacket pockets, "Maybe the only reason why trouble finds me is because it looks for me. I don't go out looking for it."

"Perhaps so. You certainly were a lot of trouble when we were children. It seems that hasn't changed much in time." he steered her through the crowd easily, ignoring some of the open stares from women over his looks.

Sora didn't miss them and she grabbed his arm and got on her toes to whisper in his ear, "Hey, those blondes are staring at you. I think they want to flirt."

"Are you suggesting I engage?"

She shrugged, "I was just making an observation. I thought...since you've been so busy lately maybe you'd like to relax and just do something completely different from what you normally do."

"I flirt for my job all the time." he reminded her, "Let's get our ramen."

Sora put distance between them as they walked up to a ramen shop. She stepped inside and looked around before sitting at the counter. '_I can't let his mood get to me. He came to see me again when he didn't have to...that's good, right?'_

They sat down and ordered two bowls of ramen. Neither spoke until after both of them had eaten and then Matt handed her a rice ball. "That should fill you up now. That was surprisingly good ramen."

"Wasn't it?"

"It was. I actually came to tell you something. I wanted to tell you to keep your eyes open. Big things are about to happen." he said, taking out his wallet to pay for everything.

Sora blinked and stuttered, "W-what? I don't think I caught that."

"I think you did. Big things are about to happen and you should keep your eyes wide open." he laid his money down on the table and stood up, "Things are about to get interesting."

Her hand shot out and gripped his. But as soon as their skin's touch she felt a spark and instantly pulled away, her cheeks flushed, "Any chance you're going to tell me what?"

"Not at all." he grinned.

"I figured, is there..." she paused and then took a deep breath, "any chance you'll stay and walk me home?"

"Hmmm, do you need me to walk you home? I thought you were a strong and independent woman?"

"Don't be an ass."

"I am excellent at doing that."

Sora rolled her eyes, "I can walk myself home but it'd be nice to have you visit a little longer."

He took her arm again, using his touch to calm her a bit, "Come on. I guess I can walk you home a little longer. The only man who gets to antagonize you is me."

Her arm felt good in his as she let him escort her out of the ramen shop. Darkness had set in and by looking at his profile she was able to see that he was more relaxed in it than in the light of the day. '_He says the only person that can antagonize me is him...so does that mean he'd be upset if someone else was doing it? I wonder how he'd react? Here I go again, thinking way too much about things. It's obviously he's only doing this because he's going to think of another way to try to make me afraid of him.' _

Matt took a breath of night air, relaxing as darkness closed in. He felt much more at ease now that he was less exposed. Suddenly he pulled Sora into an alleyway nearby. He pressed himself against her and before she could protest, his lips were on hers. He felt a surge of dark power and his lips moved more fervently against hers. His hands explored her, taking in her much different and womanly body. _'What's up with this? Normally I don't feel this kind of surge, especially not in the human world. What's going on?'_

Sora wasn't sure what was happening. Especially since when she kissed him he got upset and pushed her. She slowly kissed him back but then broke the kiss, "Uh...Matt? What...is this?"

"That was me feeling you out and you falling into those feelings. Foolish, foolish feelings that they are."

Her hair fell in her eyes, "So...you kissed me to make fun of me? Or prove some sick point?"

"I proved my point and got some enjoyment out of it. You're quite different than you used to be. Much curvier and womanly."

Sora pinched his side and then leaned up and kissed him again, against her better judgment. Matt was surprised, but darkness surged again and he was swept up in its wave. He responded to her, kissing harder against her lips. He felt her hand start to get lost in his hair and he was getting his lost on her clothing. _'Hmmm...I'll have to ask Master about this. Bring like this with her while in darkness strengthens my power. I like it.'_

She kissed him a little longer and felt her knees starting to get weak. Pulling away from his tantalizing kiss she took a deep breath, "Wow..."

"Darkness has its uses. Weakens inhibitions." He replied using his hands to steady her.

"Feels like you took my energy or something."

"Maybe. I've never felt like that before. I want to do it again." Matt admitted.

She searched his face, "Okay..."

"I want to do more." He whispered against her soft lips.

Sora pulled away from his lips again and looked at her brown shoes. '_What does he mean by more? And why am I letting him kiss me like this?'_

He chuckled, kissing her lips once again. He thought of doing more, but he waited, patiently until she was lulled into the feelings of their kiss. Slipping his tongue in, he only frenched her for less than a minute before he pulled back, seeing how she would react. _'We'll see where things go from here. This power high is kinda intoxicating.'_

Sora squinched up her nose, "Your tongue was just in my mouth...where is all the resentment you have for me? I'm quite confused."

"I still resent you, but my power seems to be quite charged by doing this with you in this setting. I was experimenting."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Pig."

"You liked it too, so don't blame it all on me. You could have stopped anytime."

"Whatever, you probably would have pulled me right back into it." She argued.

"Are you a jellyfish? You have no will of your own? It's interesting that you are so attracted to me when we hardly know each other."

"Obviously you're attracted to me as well otherwise you wouldn't even want to kiss me." Sora rebuttled.

"Sure you're attractive. I am a man after all. I have eyes."

"Just thought girls like Mimi and the ones you lured the other night were more your type..."

"I like all girls. I'm not too picky." Matt shrugged.

That made Sora feel even worse, '_Seriously? He doesn't have a type? Everyone has a type they like more than others.'_

"I mean as long as they aren't fat or ugly...gotta have some confidence too, but other than that...I'm pretty open." Matt added.

"Interesting. So if it was me and Mimi who would you choose?"

"Hmmm...Mimi is cute and we'd make great, beautiful babies if we had sex, but...you can be a pretty sexy and interesting girl when you want to. I see a lot of potential in you and her. We'll see who is more interesting in the end."

Sora wanted to smack her forehead but refrained from it. There was something his eyes that made her freeze. '_He's completely serious. He wants to see us compete for his attention. Wow...never thought Matt would ever be like that. The last time I talked to him about Mimi in the Digital World he was convinced that she was annoying and that she had no good qualities at all. Now listen to him, he seems to be enthralled by her all of a sudden.' _

"Things are about to get very interesting. There's forbidden fruit everywhere and I hope I get to taste it all." Matt's eyes twinkled with mischief.

Forbidden fruit? What could he possibly mean by that? Sora pushed some hair behind her ear as she realized he wasn't meaning her. Even though what they were doing, sneaking around from the others in the group...it could be seen as forbidden. But for some reason she had a gut feeling that wasn't what he was meaning.

He leaned his forehead against hers, "It's kinda a rush huh? Keeping things from everyone and sneaking around. That would be considered forbidden."

"I just get the feeling it isn't what you were referring too. So...want to fill me in on what it is you are meaning by forbidden fruit?" Sora asked softly, enjoying his forehead against hers. Without her knowledge she hooked her fingers in his belt loops.

"I partially mean you, but the other part..." he put his finger on her lips, "is a secret."

She looked into his eyes with a pleading look, "How about you let me in on the secret."

He shook his head, "I don't think so. It's too much fun keeping it to myself."

"You sure that you don't want to share it with me?"

"I'm sure." he answered, glancing down at how her hands were around his belt loops and steadily moving him closer, "I think you aren't finished with me anyway."

She released his belt loops like they were on fire, "I-I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's not bad." he said, putting her hands back where they were, "Try it. I won't bite."

"I don't even know what it is I was trying to try."

"Maybe you want to kiss me again?" he suggested, wondering what she would ultimately say.

Sora blushed, "Did you want to kiss me again?"

"Of course, but it's your turn. You need to act on your own will."

"I like it when you kiss me..." she admitted.

"And yet you said before now that you didn't want me to kiss you." he pointed out, drawing her closer to him, "Time for you to act on your own little jellyfish. Time to grow a spine and make a decision."

"You're just going to break my heart...aren't you?" Sora mumbled as she tilted her head a little since their foreheads were still touching, and kissed him.

Matt's power boosted even more and he suspected it was because she was willingly giving herself over to him. _'This is kinda fun. Just two teenagers having a good time at night. I don't think I'm ready to take her to bed and get her naked, but kissing and touching is fun.'_

He responded back, but kept it a little more reined in than he had in the past. He wanted to see if it was just him who was eager to try some physical things he had seen or tried before. _'We'll see if Sora gets brave and decides to take a walk on the wild side a little bit.'_

She kissed him, her hands tightening around his belt loops. '_This is wrong...I shouldn't be doing this...' _

Feeling Sora's hesitancy slowly melting away, Matt eased her onto his leg so he could support more of her weight. He smiled against her lips as he heard a quiet, but certainly audible moan. _'She likes it too. She's trying to be uptight and stuff, but she likes this stuff too. Not so innocent after all.'_

Somehow his hand slipped under her top and touched the bare skin of her hip. This sent a powerful jolt through him and he paused for a moment, even shaking his head a little. _'That's new...wonder if that happens all the time or just with her...interesting.'_

Sora's cheeks were deeply flushed as she pulled away from him for a third time, "I'm sorry...I did something wrong."

"No you didn't. Who ever told you this was wrong?"

"You just were shaking your head..."

"Sora...I...that wasn't because it was bad. I shook my head because I got a jolt when I touched your skin and was clearing my head." Matt clarified.

"A shock? Like...a real shock?" Sora asked surprised.

"I guess. I mean it didn't hurt, it was just surprising. I liked it actually." he looked down at his hand that was still on her skin, "I guess I'm weird because I was the only one who felt that."

"No, I just..." she pushed some of his blonde hair to the side, "always feel that with you. Even when I'm not touching you."

"Really? Why do you think that is?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. Its weird huh?"

"Definitely, but to set you straight, what we are doing isn't bad. It's biology and its not bad at all."

"My mother wouldn't agree, she'd say this was really bad." Sora stood up and ruffled her hair as she thought of her mother and the reaction she would have if she were to catch Sora in this situation.

Matt snorted and then laughed, "And you listen? You're something else Sora."

"Of course I do, she's my mother."

He backed away from her, "I should go anyway. I have some work to do."

Her head lowered, "Right."

"Besides, you wanted me gone away. I'm suddenly turning into a pervert." he teased.

"I never said that, or implied it."

'_I am turning into a perv though. I liked that way too much...way...way too much.'_

He took another step back, "Remember what I said, fireworks are about to start and you will want to keep your eyes open for the show."

Sora held her hand up and sputtered, "D-do you have a cell phone or something that you use while you're in the human realm?"

"I usually use disposable ones. Makes it so I won't be detected or traced."

"Oh," she fidgeted nervously, "well..." suddenly she felt how cold it had gotten, shivering she forced herself to look over at him, "did you want my number?"

He smirked, "Sure, I might text you from a weird number, so don't be surprised."

Fumbling in her skirt she pulled out a folded paper that had her school schedule on it and a pen. Looking at the paper she scanned it and figured it would be all right to give to him. Scribbling her number on the paper she walked to him and held it out.

"I won't be. I'll be more surprised by the fact if you text me at all. Or call me."

He took the piece of paper and put it in his jeans pocket, "I'm full of surprises."

"I'm seeing that."

"I hope to be seeing you again." he smirked and disappeared from her view.

* * *

Haze...it was hard to focus on anything as soft brown eyes opened and looked around her surroundings. Her body felt cold and heavy as lead. She could barely keep her head up and the rest of her body wasn't moving at all.

'_What happened? I can't focus at all...it's so hard to remember.'_

"It's taking too long." a male voice grumbled in the darkness.

"Patience, you took this long too. Poison isn't the most efficient method. But, now that she is docile, we can begin the ritual."

Two pairs of red eyes looked at her from the darkness and it sent a shiver up Mimi's spine. She willed her body to move, to back away from them, but it wouldn't move at all. Matt appeared in front of her first, starring her down like a bug in a box. Gulping, Mimi waited for what was next.

She didn't have to wait long. Her eyes widened and a small noise left her throat as she saw someone else holding her crest in a gloved hand. _'No, my crest!'_

It sent a panic through her and suddenly her body began to move, though much slower than she would have liked. She reached her hand out towards the crest, "Give it back!"

A sinister laugh echoed through the room, "This will be the vehicle for our next moves. Say goodbye to your humanity."

Then the crest slipped out of the fist that held it and into a basin. The small splash told Mimi it had landed in water. A few seconds later, she felt a terrible burning in her body. It felt like everything inside her has suddenly erupted. She screamed and began to claw at herself, trying to get the burning to stop. Matt's hands moved with inhuman speed and he held her hands in his so she couldn't hurt herself. Her back arched as the pain grew stronger.

A laugh from near the bowl could be heard, "Your body is being changed. Your crest is being turned. You will serve me now."

"Please Matt, make the pain stop, please..." she begged, tears running down her face.

Matt's eyes seemed to soften as he remembered the pain he had suffered. He had been alone when this happened to him, at least she was lucky to have someone here who understood the pain.

"It'll subside soon." he said gently.

"Take her. We must finish the ritual before she is destroyed by this darkness."

Matt lifted Mimi up and took her into another room. Water lapped and splashed below them. Matt looked out over the pool in front of them. He walked to the edge and sighed, "I'm so sorry Mimi. The less you fight...the harder it is."

Before she had a chance to consider what that meant, he threw her into the pool. Horror suddenly gripped her and she willed her body to move so she could swim to the surface. But she continued sinking, her body unwilling to respond. She felt the burning in her lungs from the lack of oxygen.

'_No...I'm going to die before I really lived. There was so much I wanted to do. This is the worst way to die...drowning is a horrible way to go.'_

She inhaled water into her lungs, wishing it was air, but that just made things worse. Continuing to sink, she wondered just how deep this pool really was. Eventually, she felt her focus diminishing and herself losing consciousness. She knew that shortly, she would die and maybe she'd be able to go to heaven and watch over people there.

Matt watched Mimi's body hit the bottom of the pool. He waited a few minutes until the bubbles stopped and he was sure she was dead. He felt the look of her on the bottom of the pool, her eyes wide open, being burned into his psyche.

Looking to his Master, he got the signal and dove into the pool. He had become quite an able swimmer through many swimming lessons as a child and he'd even considered becoming a lifeguard someday. This dream was being put to good use now as he grabbed Mimi's lifeless body from the bottom of the pool and made the long journey to the surface.

His lungs were screaming for air by the time he surfaced and he was gulping it in when he brought her over to the side. _'It won't be long now. The ritual is almost complete...then...she'll be just like me.'_

A few moments later, Mimi gasped and began to cough. Matt turned her over on her side so she could cough the water out of her lungs. As she was coughing, her eyes slowly changed from brown to red. They finished their transformation and suddenly her coughing stopped. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the dramatic vision changes. Slowly, she moved her hand in front of her face and inspected it. Her skin was perfect in every way and a beautiful glow startled her.

"Wha-what's happened to me?" she asked in wonder.

Master stepped back, letting Matt take things from here. _'I need those two to bond a little. This next mission will be the first for my little pet. I need Matt to mentor her in what to do.'_

"You can see and hear more than you could before. You've changed. You aren't human anymore."

Mimi cocked her head. She'd never noticed before, but Matt's voice seemed to have a musical quality about it. Each pitch was perfect and when they were put together, it was like he was singing a song. _'Wow...I never noticed how wonderful his voice sounds or...how drop dead gorgeous he is.'_

She focused on his face and blinked once more, "Wow...you are so beautiful, did you know that?"

Matt laughed, "Uh...thank you? Usually when you like a guy's looks, you say he's handsome."

"You're right sorry. I..." Mimi stood up, twisting her sopping wet hair, "need a shower and to change."

"Right this way. After that, we're going on a mission. I'll show you what to do. Just trust me." He stood up fully and led the way towards the personal quarters. _'She recovered quickly...that's to be expected though...our kind do heal, move, think, and do things faster than others. We'll see how well she adjusts to this. She might find it's just what she's been looking for all her life.'_

* * *

An ocean breeze filled the air and the waves lapped up onto the shore. Kari Kamiya was out for a walk before dinner at the hotel. This was one of the few times she could be alone. Usually TK, Davis, Cody, Yolei, or Ken were around. The sun was setting and it was breathtaking. It caused Kari to stop and watch for a few minutes.

"Kari?" a sweet voice spoke up.

Kari spun around, "Hello? Who's there?"

Stepping out from a nearby palm tree, caramel colored hair shone against the sunset. Mimi smiled at Kari, "I didn't know you were here. What brings you to Iwo Jima?"

"A school trip...what are you doing here?"

"On vacation. Are you staying over at that hotel?" Mimi pointed to the nearby hotel.

"Uh...yes."

Mimi walked a little closer, enjoying the feeling of the sand on her bare feet. Her own senses were extremely heightened because of the change and she was still getting used to them.

"So then if it's a school trip, that means that TK and the other new Digidestined are here too. How fun! Don't you just love this beach?" she chattered like her normal self.

"It is pretty."

"You know I spent some time in Japan too. Your brother talked about you sometimes. He misses you." Mimi took Kari's hand and started walking, "Tai is like a superstar at school. He seemed pretty popular, but he's still the same old Tai we grew up with. He told me you're getting pretty popular too and have your own admirers."

Kari rolled her eyes, "He exaggerates a bit."

"Davis seemed to be all over you before. He talked about you non-stop when he came to America for the holidays last year. So...do you like him?"

"Not like that. He's a good friend."

Mimi nodded, "I understand that. Having guy friends is awesome isn't it? I have a few in America. You remember Michael? He's one of my best guy friends."

Kari nodded too, "He was really nice to us."

Mimi noticed that they had walked further down the beach, away from the hotel and out of the sight of anyone nearby. _'Here we go.'_ She summoned the darkness in her just like Matt had shown her and let it fill her. She would use it to subconsciously have Kari do her will.

She swallowed, letting it fill her, but she couldn't allow too much or her cover would be blown and Kari would see her new red eyes. Matt had told her it was a delicate balance that had to be maintained.

Looking over at Kari, she felt the darkness releasing and flowing around, dulling Kari's mind and making it pliable. Not wanting to break concentration, Mimi sent her will through the darkness instead of speaking aloud. _'Close your eyes. Just close your eyes and relax. Everything is going to be okay, just relax.'_

Warning bells went off in Kari's mind as she fought the urge to give into the quiet voice of Mimi's that filled her head. Something was terribly off...and everything inside of her knew she had to get away. She stumbled on the sand as she tried to will her body to move. It felt as if her body was made of steel, it was so heavy...

'_No...I have...to get away...' _ Her eyes were starting to close on their own. Snapping them open she continued to fight the darkness that she was so terribly afraid of. '_Tai! I don't know what's happening...' _ Kari fell to her knees, her hands going to her head as she felt the all too familiar sensation of the dark ocean. Her pulse quickened and eyes filled with tears just before she slumped to the ground unconscious.

Mimi stepped forward taking Kari's head out of the grainy sand. She brushed it off just as Matt walked up. A small, almost not noticeable smile was on his face. He was proud, like a father seeing his child off to school or do a big accomplishment all by themselves.

He knelt down and gathered Kari's body in his arms, "You did well, especially for a first time. Master will be pleased. Let's get her deposited in her new home with the creatures of the Dark Ocean."

Standing up, the two of them walked into a nearby portal. It didn't take long to make sure Kari was placed with the creatures she had seen in the Dark Ocean. They wanted to make her their Queen so it was only logical that she make her home there and out of the way of the future plans.

Once this was done, they returned to Iwo Jima. Matt's stomach twisted a little as he thought of the next part of the plan. _'I haven't seen TK in years. Part of me wonders about him and wants to see the young man he's become. But...he has to be dealt with. He's one of the strongest Digidestined and has to be taken so that he won't interfere with our plans.'_

Mimi's hand slipped in his, comforting him as they walked into the hotel where everyone on the school trip was staying. It wasn't too hard to locate TK sitting with his friends. Matt was able to pinpoint him instantly, noticing the same blonde hair and blue eyes that stood out in a crowd. He watched him for several minutes, noticing he was quiet, but still exuded that light that he did when he was a child.

"We should do this soon Matt...we need to go..." Mimi whispered, not wanting to break his concentration, but she knew being in one place too long would increase their chances of detection.

Matt slowly nodded and gathered his own power. It was much more formidable than Mimi's especially since he had the training and practice in how to use it. Using his own power, he planted the suggestion in TK's head. _'Look this way little brother. You know you can see me and you want to see if it's really me. You'll come away from the hotel and prying eyes because you want to spend time with me.'_

TK's blue eyes narrowed and he turned in his seat and looked across the foyer. His eyes opened in surprise when he saw his older brother leaning against a wall. He felt as if he should get up right away and go to him but he stopped. It was then that he realized Kari's presence wasn't around. Instead of going to Matt he took off in the opposite direction. '_Kari, where did you go!' _

Matt smirked, suddenly interested in his brother's resistance. _'Interesting...his love for Kari overrode my suggestion. It's rare, but this does happen.'_

"Let's go see how this plays out." Matt lead Mimi outside and into the palm trees near the beach to see what TK would do.

TK searched the entire beach and froze when he came to the spot where Kari had been in the sand. Kneeling down he touched the sand, letting it fall between his fingers. His eyes were fixed on the ocean. '_Somehow...I know where she went. But-how did I miss the warning signs? Last time this happened...I saw everything but this time...there was nothing.' _ His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he turned around and glared at the tree the two were standing behind.

"You better have a damn good reason for taking Kari, Matt, because if you don't I'm going to make you regret it."

"Oh, I have a good reason, trust me." Matt came out first and stood before his brother, "But first I had to get a look at you. You're a young man now...that makes me feel old...you've grown up so fast."

TK's fists shook as he glared at his brother, "Bring her back Matt. We haven't done anything to you to deserve this. I haven't looked for you just like you wanted so give her back!"

"I wish I could." Matt looked down at the sand, just as Mimi walked up next to him, "I wish we could have more time too...I really do. But...I have to do what is asked of me. So you and her have to be out of the way."

TK's crest began to glow faintly from under his shirt as he took a step back, "Go to hell. I'm not going to let you do what you please, as long as there's Hope I'll be able to crush you."

"You're right, you will as long as there is. But...when there is no hope left...I win. So once we crush that hope you have..."

Both Mimi and Matt stepped forward in sync and pooled their darkness together. It darkened the sky around them and came down upon TK like a dark, cold blanket. Matt felt a twinge of guilt for doing this to his brother, but it was soon replaced with determination to finish what had been asked of him.

TK's crest simple grew in light as the darkness descended upon him. He fought against the voices that echoed in his head. "I'm not going to let you get away with this. You think just because you hit Kari with her weakness that it'll be just as simple with me. We'll you're wrong, you have no idea who I am and what I'm capable of. I no longer need anyone else to help me along with life." he took a deep breath, "It's sad it's come to this, two brothers fighting, but I guess it was bound to happen eventually." Placing his hand in his pocket he retrieved his new D3. The green device began to glow along with his crest. He smirked as he saw the surprised look flash on his brothers face before it was masked with the darkness he was sending out.

"I think you understand what's about to happen now. I will find Kari, I've done it once before so I can do it again. And once I do, we're going to come after you with a vengeance. You'll wish you had left us alone like we have done to you."

A portal opened and Pegasusmon was waiting for him. His blue eyes looked at Matt and Mimi as he trotted to TK's side. "I see the dark Lord has gotten his hands on Mimi. We must hurry TK."

TK easily got on his old friend who turned and leaped through the portal, it shutting close behind them.

Matt rubbed his temples, "That didn't go as expected."

Mimi smirked, "He does have the Crest of Hope. We knew it would be a tough battle. But...we'll cut our losses. He's got a digimon in the dark dimension. Darkness is patient. It'll wear him down in there, even if he does have the Crest of Hope."

Matt wanted to do nothing more than go back to the castle and lay on his hardly ever used four poster bed.

"Let's go."

Mimi followed him as another portal opened to take them to the castle. She watched Matt, who had suddenly hunched over and looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Running up to him, she got on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, "It'll be fine. I'll talk to Master myself. You get some rest and get your head back on."

"Okay." he said quietly as the portal closed and they returned to the Digital World.

* * *

"Everyone is ready when you are." a small and adorable voice spoke from next to the vanity. Mimi looked down at her partner digimon as she finished brushing her hair once again.

"I sure hope I'm ready. I don't know...I mean being Queen is gonna be awesome, but there's so much to do."

"Like?" Palmon cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, plunder and pillage the resistance to our rule. Plus make sure TK doesn't find Kari. Once I am Queen, I will have the Dark Continent as part of my territory, so I can use more powers to make sure that she isn't found."

"Oh...okay." Palmon replied rather cluelessly, "You look wonderful."

Mimi looked down at her dress, enjoying the deep red color and how it complimented her skin tone, "Thanks, I picked it myself. Yours looks good too. Only the best for my partner."

Standing up, Mimi put her high heeled shoes on and opened the door. She blinked when she saw Matt, looking like he was ready to knock. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, Matt positively floored at her beauty, and Mimi was fascinated by the black armor he was wearing.

Without saying a word, Matt offered his arm and Mimi took it. Neither of them needed to say anything. Ever since she had been changed...it seemed like they just knew what the other was thinking or feeling, especially when they were in close contact.

They walked down the long halls to where the ceremony was to be. The ceremony itself was a complete blur to Mimi. She was too busy spinning with the ideas of what was required of her now. Once the crown, shaped like a shiny black laurel wreath was placed on her head, she felt the true weight of her power settle upon her.

Both Matt, Mimi and their Master went into a back room as soon as they were able to discuss what was to come next.

"I can't believe you let the Crest of Hope escape! This could be a disaster!" Master roared when he heard what had happened.

Matt lowered his head, "I'm truly sorry. I take full responsibility for this."

"I have a plan to fix this and he will carry it out. We can salvage this situation." Mimi spoke calmly, her power seemed to allow her to be confident and calm despite the tension.

"That is?" Master asked.

"Now that you and I are bonded as King and Queen, I can use both that power and the power of a darkened Digidestined to manipulate the Dark Ocean and for that matter the Dark Continent as a whole. Matt will take Kari from the underwater castle to a more secure location where she will be entombed. That will keep her from ever being discovered by anyone who doesn't already know its location. Matt will then allow the darkness on the Dark Continent to work on his brother. It might be a slow process, but the Dark Ocean only opens for a select few during rare sync cycles. So...TK will eventually succomb to the power of the darkness and then Matt can move him to another location to be entombed as well. Then, only four Digidestined will remain and we can work on them."

The Master thought about this for a long time, not speaking to either of them. When he did speak, it was low and commanding, "See that this is done. My Queen and I will be in our chambers. I must help her powers grow much faster than I allowed yours. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Looking a little bit nervous, Mimi stood up. Matt gave her a reassuring look, "I will report back when I am done. Your idea is really brilliant my Queen. You are smarter than you look."

Stepping towards him, she offered her hand, which he kissed, showing his devotion to her as his new Queen. Once the kiss touched her skin, she moved it and hit him on the side of the head, which caused him to grunt, "I can be a beauty, but have brains at the same time."

"Yes you can." Matt rubbed his head gingerly.

"See that you report back. Good luck."

Matt stood up and bowed again before walking out to get started on this new plan.

* * *

Tai blinked at the computer screen in front of him. He had planned on getting online in order to finish some last minute assignments but as he was about to start his Skype chimmed. He was more than shocked to see it was Mimi's parents. Tai didn't remember giving them his username but he shrugged and answered the call anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hello Tai? Can you hear us okay?" Mimi's father Keisuke said, making sure the audio was working correctly.

"Yes, is there something I can help you with?" Tai asked politely.

"Have you...well.,..is Mimi there with you? She never arrived home. I'm worried sick. I know she doesn't like being here in New York, especially when all her close friends are there..." Satoe, Mimi's mother asked as she wrung her hands in her lap.

Tai's stomach dropped, "I dropped her off at the airport yesterday...are you sure she isn't there?"

"We've called the airport and they said her flight arrived here at JFK, but...her bags were never claimed. We've called all her friends she might have here and no one has heard from her since before she left to go to Japan." Keisuke said evenly.

Satoe began to tear up next to him, "Mimi would never leave her bags at the airport and just take off...I'm praying she just...I don't know...decided to take a return flight to Japan."

"I'm sorry but I haven't seen her. But...we'll look for her okay? You two just try not to freak out, I'm sure she just went to the Digital World or something like that."

Satoe began to sob and Keisuke looked over at his wife, "Honey, why don't you go blow your nose and wipe your eyes before you get blotches?"

Satoe took a nearby tissue box and left the room. Keisuke took a breath and then turned back to Tai, "Did Mimi say anything to you about...anything? We've been...having some struggles at home lately. I hate to think that Mimi would do something rash and it doesn't seem like her, but...she's been quite upset with us lately."

"She's mentioned a few things but not everything. She respects your privacy a lot so she wouldn't tell me everything that was going on. There has been some questionable activity going on in the Digital World so I'm sure she just headed over there ahead of schedule. We'll look for her, you have my word." Tai said.

"Please Tai, I'm begging you. She's our only child and Satoe is especially close to her...or was until we moved here. Mimi's been struggling since the move, though we have kept things private. If you see her, please tell her we love her and wish she'd come home."

"I promise." Tai swore.

"Please keep in touch and we'll keep searching on our end of things. Hopefully she just stopped at a mall or the Digital World like you said." Keisuke looked away for a moment to check on his wife and then turned back to Tai, "I should go before Satoe gets too upset."

Tai nodded, "That'd be good, I will find her if she's here on this end. Take care."

Keisuke closed the conversation, leaving Tai with a blank screen again.

Tai rubbed his temples that were pulsing. '_Mimi is missing now? I saw her get on the plane and saw the plane leave. Is it possible that Matt got to her?' _He groaned and got out of his seat. Exiting his room he looked around the small apartment and didn't see anyone. He went over to the counter and wrote on a pad of paper that was next to the phone. His mother liked to know where he was at all times so instead of having her call him twenty times in a panic he left her a simple note.

The walk to Izzy's house wasn't far. Tai reached up and pushed the doorbell. '_And if it was Matt that means he's most likely spoken to Sora...especially since she never showed up at her tennis practice. All suspicious events.' _

Kae Izumi answered the door and smiled at Tai, "Oh Tai, are you here to see Izzy? He didn't tell me he was going to have friends over. I would have saved some dessert if I'd known you were coming."

"Sorry Mrs. Izumi, I just had a last minute question for him. Is it alright to see him?"

"Of course, he's in his room." she moved aside so that Tai would be able to come in.

"Thank you." Tai stepped into the apartment and took his shoes off. He went down the hall and knocked on Izzy's door. "Izzy, its Tai."

Izzy opened the door in surprise, "Tai, what brings you here?"

Tai let himself into Izzy's room and shut the door behind him, "Mimi never made it back to America."

Izzy plodded over to his computer chair in his pajamas and slippers, "Was her flight delayed? It could be possible that perhaps it was rerouted because of weather concerns. Maybe she's on another flight."

"She should have been home last night Izzy. Her parents called me and her luggage arrived but she didn't."

"That's strange...she had her passport and credit cards...it's possible she could have got on another flight, but that wouldn't explain her luggage..." Izzy trailed off.

Just then Tai's cell phone went off. He answered it and spoke a few words and then the color left his face. The phone fell from his hand and he blinked, "Izzy...can you track Kari's signal? Her and TK...they weren't there for the roll call. Damn it! What in the world is going on?!"

Izzy jumped into action and began to type on his computer. "Give me a minute to narrow the signals. I'll also have to coordinate the coordinates with a GPS unit. These Digivices weren't ever meant to track us in the Real World."

He typed furiously as the minutes ticked by. Several programs flashed over Izzy's screen and then the typing suddenly stopped and Izzy's brow furrowed.

"Strange...I've never seen...that's not possible...it doesn't lead to anywhere."

Tai gulped, "A place that doesn't lead to anywhere...do you remember Kari's story about that dark place? She said it was in a different dimension completely...there isn't a way she'd be there is there?"

Izzy thought for a moment, "Not much is known about that dimension other than what Kari has told us. I could never pinpoint the exact location of that dimension. When I analyzed Kari's digivice, it yielded no coordinate data to help me find it. But here's the strange thing...I just checked the other Digivices and cross referenced their locations. TK's disappeared from a similar place as Kari's and is giving me the same readings. I can extrapolate that TK and Kari are in similar, if not the same location."

"Are you sure?"

Izzy sighed, "I can't say it with true assurity since there are no coordinates to directly cross reference. I can say with surety that they disappeared from the same location which is a beach not too far away from their hotel."

"We have to do something, Mimi and now TK and Kari are missing."

The door opened and Sora stood in the entry way, her eyes wide. "Did I just hear that Mimi and Kari and TK are missing?"

Tai looked over his right shoulder, "Yes."

"Uhm..." she bent down and picked up her backpack, "that must be what he meant..."

"He?" Izzy asked, suddenly embarrassed that now two friends had caught him in his pajamas as he was getting ready for bed, not to mention his mother was probably not too happy to have lots of visitors at this hour.

Sora's eyes lowered, her face being masked in darkness, "Matt."

"What?" Tai shot to his feet, "You've been talking with him again?"

She flinched his loudness, "He visited me again, yes."

"Why the hell are you talking to him? He's evil Sora! You need to realize that."

Sora flinched again but didn't reply. Izzy sighed, "What did he say exactly that lead you to this conclusion?"

"He said to watch because something big was going to happen. I had no idea he meant Mimi and the others were going to go missing."

"This is quite the disaster for our team. We now have only four members with us, three of which are in this room." Izzy pointed out.

Tai was already texting Joe to make sure he was all right. "This is a terrible disaster. What are we going to do?" he exclaimed.

Izzy typed on the computer for a couple of minutes and then nodded, "Tai, Joe is at his house. He's probably asleep. He's known to go to bed early. I checked Mimi's digivice just for laughs and it shows she indeed arrived in New York. Give me a minute to pull up a schematic of the airport to give you more details, but while I do...Sora...do you intend to keep up this illicit affair with Matt? If so, we might need to turn it to our advantage."

Sora sat down on the floor, her bag beside her, "It all depends on him, he comes to me when he wants to. I can't get in contact with him."

Izzy clicked his mouse a few times, "Well...I have more details on Mimi's arrival. Overlaying her Digivice and crest coordinates with the airport schematic tells us that she got off at the gate and then..." he watched on his screen as a red dot moved, "she moved to a coffee shop in the food area. Then...she seemed to step into..." he blushed deeply, "the ladies room. After that, her signal disappears. Unfortunately, I can't pull any security cameras to see what happened since it is the ladies room."

"That's when he'd take her." Tai added, "No cameras to witness his crime, its the perfect opportunity."

"Quite ingenious actually. It's the only place in the airport with no cameras monitoring." Izzy commented in fascination, "I wonder if that was a stroke of luck or if he planned it that way."

"I'm guessing luck since he can't make someone have to pee." Tai muttered.

Izzy nodded, "Certainly true. It seems our next move must come much quicker now. We must make immediate preparations to leave. Tomorrow would be best. I'll need to tell my parents so they are prepared and I suggest all of you do the same."

Tai nodded, "The sooner we get there the sooner we can actually do something about all this. Here in the real world makes us useless. And," his brown eyes locked onto Sora, "if you keep seeing Matt I expect you to tell us everything he tells you. We need to know every little detail, understand?"

Sora took a deep breath, "I'll tell you anything important. But I really doubt I'll see him again." '_Especially if he has Mimi now.' _

"We will need to track Kari and TK down. They are our strongest allies." Izzy sighed, "That will be tough since the Digivices can't help us."

"We'll have to try to find them anyway."

"I'll bring my equipment then. I'll get in contact with Gennai and see if he can meet us when we arrive. We'll need to get our Digimon too. I have a feeling the attacks won't stop with Mimi, Kari, or TK out of the way."

Tai looked grim, "I agree Izzy."

"Tai...you must suspect as I do that you are Matt's ultimate target. He made that explicitly clear when he left our group. You are the one that we need to protect."

"I'm ready to face him."

"The three of us aren't ready to face the possibility of losing you. I will discuss with Gennai our options, including taking you to a safe location."

"Izzy I'm not going to sit in a safe house. End of story."

"It would be safer. You know...that is what Mimi would have wanted. She discussed with me many times her concerns for your safety." Izzy said quietly, knowing he was hitting Tai where it hurt, but he hoped it would save his friend.

"I don't care what's 'safer' you know me damn well to know that."

"I do, but I was hoping to help." Izzy said, going back to staring at his computer.

"You help in the ways you do best."

Izzy nodded, going back to typing on his computer, "I need to start tracking TK and Kari down. It's going to be a long night...you two should go home and prepare yourselves. I'll call Joe's house and wake him up. He needs to know about our plans."

Tai looked grim, "We leave early."

Sora bit her lower lip and got to her feet. '_I should tell them everything that happened but I can't...'_

"Good night Tai and Sora. Sleep well...you'll need it."

The two left in silence from Izzy's apartment. When it came time to split they looked at each other and then Tai looked away. Sora lowered her head in defeat and began the walk back to her place.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! It's White Moon Princess again! Myself and Kurosaki girl 0890 are excited to give you chapter 6. This was one of my favorite chapters to write and it really spices things up for the story. The 5 previous chapters were helping to build up to this point. Again we did up the rating for this story to M. Both of us felt that in good conscience with the material that is coming, it would be better to up the rating. We hope you enjoy it! Please read and review! Happy Holidays!**

* * *

Chapter 6-Rebellion

The halls echoed with the footsteps of heavy boots as Matt approached the inner chambers once again. He had a report for his master and his new queen as well. The moment he entered the room, Master and Mimi entered through a side door and sat on their respective thrones.

Master looked thoroughly bored, but Mimi's eyes were alert and interested in what he had to say.

"What news?" Mimi asked, crossing her legs together which caused her dress to swish.

"Your planning for Kari was perfect Milady. Neither TK nor I could sense her presence at all. The only problem is that TK continues to elude me. Just when I close in, he fades away."

Master's brow furrowed and he was about to speak, but Mimi beat him to the punch, "No matter. Let him search for her. He won't ever be able to locate her. Let the darkness and lack of supplies wear him down. I need you here with me."

Matt's eyebrow rose, "Oh?"

"Yes, you and I are going to go to a village together. We have some work to do there. It is your Master's wish...and mine."

"Then it will be done."

"We'll need our Digimon to go with us as well as a small portion of the army. This shouldn't take long though." Mimi glanced over at the King, "Is there anything else I need to tell him?"

"No, I think you covered it. I will continue to work on our grand plan here, while you two put out the spot fires. We have much work to do and little time to do it."

"I will ready our armies and make sure we are ready on your command my Queen." he stepped forward, placing his lips on her hand, which sent a fiery sensation through both of them.

Mimi looked disinterested in the outside, but inside, her stomach was doing somersaults and she felt like she was going to spontaneously combust. This feeling between her and Matt had been simmering below the surface since she had been turned, but now...it was threatening to boil over. Their eyes met and a thought was barely exchanged between them before Matt moved back.

"See that is done then. I will inspect these armies myself shortly."

Matt didn't miss his que to leave. He glided out of the room and to the armies. It didn't take long to pick the troops that would suit their mission. Even before he heard the swishing of fabric, he felt Mimi's presence. She soon stood next to him and looked over the armies. Nodding her approval, she spoke to him, without looking at him, "We leave in the morning...or what would be morning if it wasn't eternal night. You and I need to discuss strategy."

"My chambers then."

He took the lead, escorting her down the halls like a gentleman would, but his thoughts were anything but gentlemanly. The hunger...the lust he had experienced earlier with Sora was rearing its head again. He had a beautiful woman that was coming to his chambers...they would be perfectly alone...

Getting to his chambers, he lead his Queen in and shut the door behind them. She surveyed his room with some interest and then stopped on his bed. Looking over it for several minutes, she then moved to a nearby table that had some chairs around it.

Sitting herself down, she used some dark magic to conjure some maps of the Digital World. Matt could hardly pay attention during this meeting. His eyes flitted to different parts of her. Soft, milky skin, rosy lips that looked supple and ready to kiss, breasts that were just the right size for his hand, tiny waist that he would be able to keep with merely one arm around it, and of course there was her perfectly styled hair and eyes.

By the end of their session, he could hardly control himself. She stood up, saying something about getting a drink and before she could walk away, he had captured her. He had put his arm around her tiny waist to keep her from escaping and had taken those soft lips for his own.

Surprised at first, Mimi wasn't sure how to respond. _'When boys did this before...I would freeze up. Kissing is okay, but then it leads to other things that scared me. Why is it that this feels like the most natural thing in the world? It feels like this was meant to be.'_

They kissed once, twice, and then more and more after that. Each kiss became less natural and more hungry. Both of them felt their darkness swirling around them, twisting and turning in a lustful passion as they kissed.

The difference between what Matt had done with Sora and what he did with Mimi soon became obvious when he shoved her onto his bed and began to pull the straps of her dress down. Mimi didn't protest at all, in fact, she wished he'd get this dress off her so that she would be free of it. _'Are we going to...do it? I always said I'd be married, but this is...so hard to control. It's not just that Matt is like my loyal knight. It's like we share a special connection with each other. We both used to be human, but now we aren't and we follow our passions. It's much different than when his Master feeds on me. There's no passion there...just cold calculation.'_

Matt managed to get the dress down a little bit, but it wasn't enough. He brought Mimi up by her shoulders and broke the kiss. Sensing what Matt wanted, Mimi turned around and moved her hair aside so he could unzip her dress. He followed suit and then it was pulled away and discarded. Mimi sat before him in a deep purple bra and panty matching set. Taking a few moments to breath, she began to work on the armor that Matt had been wearing. With some effort and help, it came off and clanged on the floor. His shirt was discarded next.

The passion still boiled between them, but it was partially replaced by fascination. Neither of them had seen so much of the opposite sex before. Mimi's hand moved slowly over Matt's chest, which Matt's hand moved over her shoulders and down her breasts.

Neither of them was in much of a hurry after that. Both were quite content with exploring and kissing, after all, it would probably not be the last time they did something like this.

By the time both of them had finished exploring and had tired of kissing, hours had passed. Sweat sheen on both of them since dark power had been expended between the two of them during their passionate times. Matt didn't even protest when Mimi got under his covers with him and both of them collapsed for a brief sleep before they would be readied for battle and sent off to put out a spot fire.

* * *

Joe groaned, his back aching from everyone landing on him, "Someday I need to find a way to make that safer. Install seat belts or a mobile landing pad. I assume we're going to need to meet up with our Digimon."

Izzy nodded, "The rendezvous point is just up ahead. Then I need to go to Gennai's house. He's offered to let me stay there and we'll work together to find TK and Kari."

Tai stretched his arms, "Sounds good, even though having another digidestined down will hurt but the three of us should be able to handle it."

Sora didn't say anything as she got to her feet and brushed off her mini shorts. The backpack that was on her back had a few changes of clothes and some military rations along with a canteen of water. '_I can't believe he'd do all this. Just Matt trying to prove he isn't worth fighting for...and maybe he isn't.' _

Tai helped Joe to his feet and then started to walk towards the meeting point. The other three quickly followed after him. It wasn't hard to reach it and soon they were exchanging words with their friends. Agumon explained how horrible some areas had become since Matt had started to emerge from the darkness.

"There are some areas that we can't risk to go Tai. Matt is very strong...he's worse than Ken ever was to us."

Tai frowned as he looked at the trees that used to have a healthy green tint, now they were just gray. "We waited too long to take care of him...now we'll have to fix it."

"Hopefully we can find Mimi soon. It'll be good to have another on our side." Joe commented as he tried to hide his worry for his lady love.

Sora was about to say something but kept her mouth shut. It wouldn't be fair to the others if she spoke her mind at this moment. '_I worry about what her fate was. But I'll keep it to myself since these guys don't need more to worry about.' _

Izzy lead them through the tropical forest to Gennai's house. They stepped inside and were happily enjoying the air conditioning when Gennai strode in. Izzy was still getting used to seeing a young and vibrant Gennai and not the old man he was used to seeing.

"Well, you and I have some work to do Izzy. Tai, Joe, and Sora will you be staying for a while too? I can put on some tea and clear out my junk room so you have a place to sleep."

Tai shook his head. "We're going to set out to find the others."

"All right then. Is there anything I can help you with?" Gennai looked over all four of the teenagers, "This will be your toughest challenge since you are fighting one of the strongest of your own kind, not to mention whomever he works for."

Sora refused to meet Gennai's eyes. He was able to read people and she didn't want him knowing what was going on inside of her.

"I know, but we'll do it. We always come through." Tai replied.

"We'll do whatever it takes. Matt is our friend and deserves only the best. He helped me through a few big jams and I owe it to him to give him everything I've got." Joe added.

Tai touched the wood table, "But...if it came down to it and there was nothing left to save...then we'll have no choice but to..."

"Don't think like that yet Tai. He was your best friend...remember?" Joe pointed out quietly, "Sure Matt's done some terrible things, but so did Ken and he came back."

Tai shook his head, "He was my best friend...until he left all of us. He stopped being that the moment he turned his back on us."

Joe sighed. _'I guess Mimi's rubbed off on me. I don't want to give up on our friend yet. What if he can come back and join our team? It would be a miracle and a dream come true.'_

"Regardless, is there anything I can do to help?" Gennai jumped in, saving the awkward silence from occurring.

"Help point us in the right direction."

"That I can do. I've been studying their movements for some time and it seems something big is about to go down in a village not too far from here. I've heard a sizeable army is going and there are to be VIP guests going. I can't say who they are, but one of them is likely to be Matt. Let me get a map and point out the village."

Gennai pulled up a large digital map of the Digital World. With a few key strokes, he put the village on the map with a yellow dot. "This is the village of Myra Falls. I'll program the coordinates into your Digivices."

Tai looked at Agumon, "Be ready to warp."

Agumon looked down, "I am."

"Then we better get going. Looks like we have a little bit of a walk to Myra Falls." Joe added.

Izzy set his bag on a nearby counter, "I'll be in touch with all of you. We can communicate through the D3 or Digivice if needed. I'll let you know when I find TK and Kari."

"Thanks. Let's head out."

The three remaining Digidestined walked down the forest path to the village of Myra Falls. They hardly saw a single Digimon on the way, which seemed highly strange. When they arrived in the village, there was a collective gasp from the three who were travelling together as well as their Digimon. The village looked like it had been through a war. Many of the buildings were in rubble or at least heavily damaged.

Joe gulped when he saw some blood on the streets and some buildings. _'Wow...what happened here? This looks awful.'_

Creeping along the streets, they stopped at the corner of a building just behind the town square. Many Digimon were gathered in the square and all were kneeling, except a few that looked like guards patrolling through the crowd. More guards were stationed on the perimeter of the square and even more were in place where a large stage was.

Moments later, a hush seemed to fall over the crowd. Doors to what looked like a City Hall building opened. Guardian Digimon walked out first and then Mimi came out next with Matt trailing behind her.

Mimi sat on a throne that was positioned on the stage and Matt stood next to her. After a few seconds, dead silence came over the crowd and Mimi gave Matt a nod.

"We are here to remind you that no rebellion in this new kingdom will be tolerated. Your leaders chose to try and defy us. Look where that has gotten you...all of those said leaders are now dead, never to be reborn, and all of you will suffer the consequences for their poor choices. Our Queen has decided that until you prove your loyalty to the Crown...all able bodied Digimon will either be inducted into our army to serve the good of all or...any who refuse to join our army will be used as laborers to help build our cause."

Tai bent into some bushes, the others following behind him. His eyes locked on Mimi and upon seeing her red eyes he bowed his head. "Looks like that was the plan with Mimi."

Joe swallowed, "Look what they've done to her..."

"We have to stop both of them now."

"Can the three of us do it with all these guards around? Might be best to wait for our opportunity."

"I can't believe this is happening." Tai said exasperated.

Suddenly, Mimi stood up from her throne and took a step forward, "Good Digimon of Myra Falls, in closing, I would like to add that although this is a hard transition for all, it is not our King's intention for you to suffer. As long as all of us work in harmony, the suffering will end and all of us can embrace this new life. Myself and my knight wish only the best for you all, since so many Digimon were kind to us when we were children. The choice is before you now. We can let bygones be bygones or..." her eyes hardened with a sinister look, "I can rein the worst kind of hell upon every head in this village. That is not to be perceived as a threat, but as a promise should this village chose to rise again. My undertakers will be here to help with any transitions. Please do not give them any trouble or that will become reality. Thank you."

Moving away, Mimi went first and Matt started to follow. His eyes looked over the crowd and instantly met Sora's. Even at such a great distance, he could immediately sense she was there. His lips turned up just a little and his voice echoed in her head. _'It's good to see you again. I sent you a text, but you probably didn't get it before you left. Let's do something fun...just you and me. Meet me when the moon is highest in the sky tonight by Myra Falls outside the village.'_

He then walked away, joining the rest of the procession as they went back into City Hall and the doors were shut.

Sora blinked several times, dumbfounded that he was able to see her from that distance, and...that he wanted to meet her. Tai frowned, "We need to leave...Matt looked in this direction."

"Let's go find a place to camp in the forest and come up with a plan." Joe started to move away from the buildings and towards the edge of town.

"Come on Sora." Tai grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

The three of them moved away from Myra Falls and camped in a forest cave they found. Joe and Tai spent the ensuing hours trying to talk strategy and occasionally Izzy, who was listening through the Digivice would chime in, but Sora was completely uninterested in this talk.

Biyomon stayed beside Sora faithfully, and when Sora laid her head on her bag Biyomon did the same. _'I don't understand...how could he see me?'_

The moon slowly rose over the sky, signalling the true night here in the Digital World. The hours seemed to tick by slowly, but just before the moon was completely in the center of the sky, Sora knew it was time to get going. She thought for a moment on how to get out of the camp without waking the others. Joe and Tai were pretty heavy sleepers so there was no worry there, but Biyomon was another story.

It was slow going, but Sora managed to get out of the Digidestined camp without arousing anyone. She walked around the village of Myra Falls and soon she heard the sound of the waterfall. It was a short hike from there to get to the base of the falls. Matt was waiting for her with a slight smile on his face. He took her hand when she approached and leaned over to kiss her cheek in a friendly way, "Glad to see you could make it. I have a fun evening planned for us."

She gently took her hand out of his, "You turned her."

Matt wasn't surprised that Sora would be a little upset over this turn of events. "It was that or kill her. I thought this would be a better option."

"She...and you...you two..." Sora gulped, "I can't believe it."

"What's there to believe? I serve her as my Queen. It's not like we've slept together." Matt shook his head, "She and I aren't bed buddies. Neither of us are ready to do that."

He motioned towards the waterfall, "Let's go behind it. I have a small surprise planned there. Then I thought...you'd want to see some other things...if you promise not to tell the others."

For some reason she didn't believe him. He seemed to have an extra cheer to his step that hadn't been there previously. '_He's lying to me. I can see it.'_

With a single nod she followed after him. Matt lead her to a spot where there was an opening behind the waterfall. Leading her in, he put his hand in hers so she could follow him. They crouched down and went deep behind the waterfall. After a few minutes of walking, the moonlight began to shine in front of them. Exiting the waterfall, he looked around him, "Welcome to the Digital World's version of a Garden of Eden. There are tons of flowers here that only bloom at night. Like this one." he led her over to a flower that seemed to reflect the moonlight, causing it to have a pale glow. He picked it for her and put it gently in her hand, "This one is a Night Lily. If you're hungry, I had Garurumon bring a few snacks that we can munch on. Then I thought I'd take you to another place."

Sora held the flower gingerly in her hand. It made her feel a little bit better that there was still something beautiful in the Digital World. "A snack would be great."

"Then let's go. I got a few of our favorites." he held out his hand for hers.

She took his hand, "Like what?"

"Well, I had some rice balls, a staple of course. I also had a few pastries made that you might like to try and strawberries...your favorite."

"Those sound amazing. You didn't infect them with darkness right?"

Matt chuckled, "No, that's not the way to turn you. You're perfectly safe eating what you want."

"What is the way to turn someone?" Sora asked curiously. She wanted to know if Mimi willingly went along with things or if she was forced.

"That's long and complicated. Not good conversation for eating." he sat down on the grass and pulled out some food from a basket, "Eat. I can tell you're hungry. If there's anything you'd like, just tell and it will be done."

She sat down, "I'll listen."

"You really are wondering about her, aren't you? About how I turned our Queen into what she is now? Am I right?" Matt asked, picking up a strawberry and taking a bite.

Sora took a strawberry as well, "Yes..."

"That's not a pretty topic. Let's just say it was quite dramatic." he handed her a strawberry, "Eat."

"What's the key to it all?" Sora asked as she took another berry from him.

"Death." Matt said solemnly, "I had to kill her to turn her. I can't get the image of that out of my mind as long as I live."

"What?"

"I had to kill her Sora. That's part of the ritual. We have to be touched by death to be turned. So...I killed her and not the quickest way either. I'm sure she's going to make me pay dearly for that someday."

Sora swallowed, "Okay..." '_This...she died? Does that mean...she can't be saved? And neither can he?'_

"You seem to want to know the dirty details so here they are." Matt's hands balled into fists, "I brought her to our castle, Master injected his special poison into her veins so she'd be docile as a little lamb. Then her crest was thrown into water specially brought from the Dark Ocean."

He paused, his breathing slowing a little before he spoke again, "She screamed and screamed, saying it hurt as the darkness consumed her crest. She clawed at her skin because it feels like someone is burning you from the inside with a hot poker. She begged me to make it stop. So...I took her into a pool in the next room and threw her in. Her body was still affected by the poison so there's no way she would be able to swim. I watched her drown and the life leave her eyes. I even waited until she hit the bottom and the bubbles stopped. When I got the signal, I retrieved her body and then she was revived from the dead and whala...she's the deviant Queen we know today."

"And the one you like." Sora whispered. "I can't believe you both died..."

Matt shook his head, "Come on, it's not like that. When two people have both experienced death...it changes you. I find you to be a much more intriguing puzzle."

'_Why the hell did I just say that? I don't care if she likes me or not. Why should I have to defend what I do with Mimi?'_

Sora traced designs on her skin of her thigh that her mini shorts didn't cover, "It's hard to know if you're lying or not..."

Matt rolled his eyes, "Lying is part of the game. Sometimes I can't tell if you're lying either. I can't tell if you really care or are just trying to get information out of me. All we can do is work with what's there, lies or not."

"I'm not using you for information. I really just want to spend time with you." Sora replied sincerely.

"We have plenty of that. I can control time. Eat as much as you want. Then I want to take you somewhere else."

She ate a few more things and then spoke, "I'm done."

"Okay then, let's go. I want to show you where most of my inner workings take place." he helped her up, "We'll have privacy too, which is always a luxury one likes to have."

"Sounds interesting."

He waved his hand and the basket disappeared. With another wave of his hand, they were standing in front of a large castle. He opened a side door and beckoned her in. "Hurry, let's get to where we're going before you're discovered."

He pulled her along through corridors and passageways until he arrived at a door. He waved his hand once again and the door opened. Taking her inside, he shut the door behind him, "This is my bedroom. I spend a lot of time here reading, studying, thinking...I thought you might want to see it."

She walked around the big room, "Wow...its big...and needs some color."

"I suppose it might need a woman's touch." he chuckled, walking over and stroking the wood of his four poster bed. He touched the black silk curtains and felt the soft material with his fingers, "This reminds me of what your skin feels like. You know...I missed not being able to kiss you again. That was kinda fun when we did that."

"My skin wasn't the last you touched."

He turned around and in an instant had her in his arms like he had when he was in Odaiba with her. Slowly, he felt her relax into him and he slowly let the breath out of his lungs, "What makes you say that? You sound like a jealous wife. You know my job is to take women for my Master. Sometimes I have to touch and kiss women to get them under my spell. Rarely do I ever enjoy it or crave it...except..." _'Like I did when you and I were doing it.'_

"Except what?"

"What do you think?" he countered her question with a question, his finger running down her cheek.

"Mimi?"

"You are too self conscious." he shook his head, lowering his head down so that his lips could meet hers. _'It's gonna be nice to kiss her again. Maybe we can go longer than we did last time...'_

Sora kissed him for a moment and then pulled back, "Why toy with me? You've already told me you don't have feelings for me."

Matt thought for a moment, "You realize that no one possessed by darkness is really capable of those feelings? Those kinds of feelings are so foreign to me that I don't know what they feel like. But...I could have killed or hurt you several times now and I haven't. I could tell my Queen that your little rag tag band is back in the Digital World and have I? No. Besides, what does it matter if we kiss and stuff? We're not doing anything bad. I'm not having sex with you or anyone else for that matter. So I don't see what the problem is. Playing and toying is kinda fun."

Sora slipped out of his arms and sat on the edge of his bed. "I...need more than that."

"That's understandable. You're human so you feel like you need those assurances of love. I'm afraid that's a foreign idea to me. I don't really understand what that feels like. I can't give that to you. But...you can't deny that you are physically attracted to me and I am to you or that thing in Odaiba would never have happened. As long as I don't take your virginity, does it hurt you to play around a little? I don't think so. Eventually when you meet the right guy, you can give him the ultimate symbol of your love by giving your virginity to him."

Sora grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, "I don't want someone else!" She yelled and then gasped, it hadn't been her intention to yell.

Matt's red eyes pierced hers as in horror, he realized what she had meant by that outburst, "This isn't just physical for you is it? You...in some shape or form love me."

Her brown eyes looked at the pillow that was now by his feet. "I think so..."

He put his head in his hands, "How foolish of you. I'm consumed by darkness. That love can never be returned. The only thing I am capable of is physical lust. You may not want it, but...you should probably start to find someone else. Convince yourself that Tai is good enough or something. If you want me to placate you for the time being, I can, but only in a physical way."

'_What an idiot I am. I should just kick her out and let her figure this out. Ironically, my darkness always guides my actions. It benefits me if she takes my offer...I get some good out of this. If I were a nice guy...I'd just let her completely go...but I'm not a nice guy. Not at all.'_

Tears filled in her eyes as she fought the urge to scream. '_Please...just give me some sign that there's a fraction of him left. Something...'_

"Tai won't ever be good enough, no one will. I figured that out after the incident we had."

His eyes softened and he slowly approached her. There seemed to be sadness in his eyes as he stroked her cheek, "Stupid. I ruined your chances at a normal life didn't I? Well...you need to try and find someone who can at least make you happy, even if he's not good enough. I'm certainly not good enough. You deserve a whole man, not someone scarred and twisted. I'm a broken and scarred man. Broken and scarred things can only ruin whole things. Give me up Sora. You need to do that or you'll be a sad and miserable girl, wishing for something that cannot be."

Matt felt something twisting in his stomach and it made him want to vomit. _'What is that? It feels...like something I haven't felt before...I don't like it and I want it to stop.'_

Sora closed her eyes and pulled her crest off. She stared at it, "Then...I don't plan on living through this battle. No reason to."

Shaking his head, Matt stood up pulling away from her, "That sounds like a Mimi drama statement. Don't turn yourself into a victim. Do something about your problem and don't just go for the easy way out. Death...is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

"But its my choice to make. And why can't I be dramatic for once? Mimi always got away with it and even if she's evil now, I'm sure that trait is still there. I don't want to go on living the way I've had to. I'm tired of feeling empty."

"That's something I always found unbecoming of Mimi and you know that. I thought you were better than that. I thought you had a brain in your head." he walked over to his balcony and looked over the landscape, "You haven't tried dating other guys besides Tai. I know that much. I'd say you just want an easy way out."

Sora rolled her eyes, "I guess there is nothing left is there? You'll never want me, especially now that Mimi is here and she's just like you. You only want me because you can't be with her all the time like you really want. Its not my kiss you crave...its hers! I wonder what your 'king' will think since she's his 'queen' and you're just a worker bee." The words tumbled out of her mouth as she stood up and moved so she was standing behind him.

"I told you before and I won't say it again. You're being jealous. I told you what I thought about you and her. You're just being unreasonable now." he looked out at the seashore, "If you're going to be dramatic, then it's my turn. I want you to make sure you kill me then. I want you to stab me and feel the life slip out of me. Then you can truly have a clear conscience knowing that I can't 'play' with you anymore."

"Why...why aren't you admitting that you want her?" Sora asked gently, which was different from the tone she had used moments before.

'_Because sure...I want her. I want to kiss her and touch her. We're two wounded souls now touched by death. She takes my weird feelings I don't like and pushes them away. But...despite our reduced inhibitions, neither one of us is really super invested that way. We could have had sex last night, but we didn't. My pants stayed on and she didn't lose her panties or bra. Both of us are just demented little dolls that seek physical pleasure. But really...what kind of life is that? Neither of us will know the storybook love we heard so much about as little children. Why would I want to admit the sick little game we play with each other?'_

"We will never know storybook love. What's there to tell? It's not some romantic thing that we have. It doesn't keep us warm at night or heal our souls. You must think it's some fantasy or match made in heaven between me and her. It's more like a match made in hell. I don't get why you're so hung up on her."

She shrugged, "Maybe its because she's always had everything I've wanted...so it made sense if she had you too."

"What is it she has that you want so bad?" he asked curiously, "It's interesting that she's your best friend supposedly, but you envy her."

"Everything." Sora touched his back, "most of all...her happiness, she always had a way to stay positive."

Matt nodded, "That makes sense, but...I think you envy her physical beauty. She could snag any man she wants. But you know...it's not always a prettier picture on the other side. You have a lot that she doesn't have and won't understand. So really, what's the point in envyng? Just be happy for what you have."

Sora wasn't sure he was right but she let it drop. "So...you probably regret bringing me here huh?"

"No, it was good to get this out." he admitted, "It's nice to let out some things that you only keep to ourselves."

"And if I said I wanted to sleep with you how would you react?"

"I would be interested in discussing the option, but I would want to know why. Is it to one up Mimi or because you really want to physically be with me?"

"Does it matter?"

"Maybe. Just like you wonder if I do stuff with Mimi because I like her. Maybe I'd like to know somethings too." Matt shrugged, wondering if she was bluffing or what...this idea of sleeping with him was certainly out of the blue considering what she had said to him last time.

"Maybe its a combination of both."

"Are you seriously talking about sleeping with me? You said it was bad before. I kinda find it funny that you want to do this. It sounds like a little bit of desperation to me."

"Fine...then it is." Sora sighed.

He turned around to face her, "I don't think you're serious or ready for this. Sex is a big deal to you. Now you're the one who's playing with me."

"Or is it that you're afraid you'll actually feel something human?" She countered.

"Human feelings are beyond me. Are you afraid you might like it?"

"They aren't beyond you."

"Oh, I assure you they are. But you on the other hand," he decided to test Sora's resolve as he moved with his inhuman speed and had her flat on the bed with her shirt slightly unbuttoned before she could blink, "are a ticking time bomb. You could really be a very bad girl. This is gonna be interesting...if you're really serious."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked up at him, "One stipulation..."

"Hmmm..." he cocked his head to the side and placed a seductive kiss on her neck, continuing to test her.

"I'd like to see blue eyes instead of red...nothing wrong with red of course. I just have always been enthralled with your blue eyes." Sora whispered as her skin tingled from his kiss.

"Hmmm...that's a reasonable request." he answered, willing his eyes to turn to their natural blue.

"You've done this before?"

"Sex...no." he shook his head, "Lots of kissing and touching women...yes."

Her arms wrapped around his neck, "I thought you had."

"Nope, I've never had sex. That's why I'm making sure this is what you really want. You want an evil person like me to be your first?"

"You want me to be yours?"

"I doubt I would have kissed you and felt you up before if I didn't consider the idea." he stated, running his hand down the remaining buttons of her shirt, feeling the skin tingling underneath.

"So...you want to?"

"Sora, think will you please. Would I be kissing you and have unbuttoned parts of your shirt and be staring at your boobs if I didn't want to?"

She played with his hair, "Sometimes people just fool around and don't do it...so I just wanted to make sure."

"I'm not so sure you're serious. You seem to be playing around a lot more than me." he pointed out, "I thought you said that I was the one you wanted. If I was about to sleep with the one I wanted, I would be acting a bit more enthusiastic. You seem bored already." Matt pointed out, opening one more button on her shirt and slowly putting his hand inside.

She rolled her eyes and ran her hands down his torso. She began to pull off his shirt. Matt helped aid her in getting his shirt off and then he brought her into a quiet but passionate kiss. His lips moved against hers, appreciating the familiarity of this. _'Kissing one girl more than once is new for me and I have to say...I like it.'_

He felt the familiar shock when she touched his skin, but this time instead of surprise, it urged him on. Deliberately, each button came undone and by the end, he could almost feel Sora's anticipation. Rolling her shirt off her shoulders, he began to feel the sudden expanse of skin that was before him, enjoying the touch and tingle that came with it.

Her hands touched his bare chest. The thought of her being 16 crossed her mind. It was young to be doing this but she didn't care. For some reason she felt that if this happened...it'd bring him a step closer to coming back. Sora deepened the kiss and dug her nails into his back. Her crest, that was on the mattress beside them, began to faintly glow.

Not even paying the least bit of attention to the crest, Matt was a little surprised when Sora deepened the kiss. He had always done it before and so it was a little foreign that she had initiated it, but he recovered quickly and reciprocated her gesture.

Putting his hand on the small of her back, it slipped down under her short shorts, causing her skin to tingle even more. He heard a small moan come from Sora and he felt happy that she was liking what he was doing to her.

Sora began to trail her hands down his chest so she could work on his pants. Matt didn't waste any time in getting her tiny shorts off and onto the floor, but he figured now that the worst of the clothing was off, he was in no real hurry to do the actual deed. After all, he was controlling time right now. There would be plenty of it yet.

She felt a little self conscious as she moved to kiss his neck. Taking a breath in, Matt's hand moved up her spine and into her hair. _'She's nervous, but I don't know why. She's doing great. Confidence will come with time.'_

Her lips continued to move against his skin as her hands kneaded his muscles. '_I'm not as pretty as Mimi...'_

His muscles rippled and flexed under her touch as he moved his hands down again and over to her legs. He guided them to wrap around him so she could sit up a bit more and be ever closer to him. Leaning over, he kissed the sensitive skin around her navel. "Sora, you're doing really good. I'm definitely enjoying this. Don't take my caution for dislike. I don't want to let too loose and have you running and screaming just yet."

Sora was surprised that she was getting so caught up in everything that was going on. Usually she was nervous and worried about getting physical with a boy but at this moment with Matt...she didn't care. Come to think of it, when he kissed her in the alley it was the same way. When she was with him she found herself doing things she wouldn't normally do. '_I guess it just proves that I really am...in love with him. Even that surprises me...' _

Taking his sweet time, Matt kissed every inch of skin he could. His hands moved in a special and provocative way that kept Sora tingling and hot. He felt himself growing more and more passionate with her, but he kept the very worst of it to himself, making sure this first time would be a pleasurable experience for her.

Sora looked up at the ceiling as he kissed her. It was then she realized there was a red glow. Turning her head she looked at her crest. '_Its glowing...it hasn't done that in a long time.'_

He stopped and looked at her, "You doing okay? No heart attacks yet?"

She grabbed her crest and held it by the chain so it was dangling between them. "Its glowing."

"That hasn't happened in a long time has it?" he noted, moving away from the crest. The darkness in him naturally recoiled from the light the crest was emitting.

Sora frowned, "Yes...but I can see you aren't pleased."

"Don't take it that way. The light just bugs me is all. It's the whole light and dark thing,"

"Oh..."

"Yeah so don't be offended."

Sora put her crest back on the bed beside her. "Right."

"You ready to keep going or do you have cold feet?"

"I don't have cold feet."

He kissed her cheek, "Good, I thought maybe...me being who I am would scare you."

"You don't..." Sora replied quietly.

"But then again...you haven't seen anything yet." he shrugged, laying down on the bed, giving her the opportunity to be on top for a change.

"I haven't?"

"Nope, what...you think that's all sex is? Come on...my dad gave me a better sex education at age 8 then you have right now."

Sora rolled her eyes, "I know how sex works."

"Could have fooled me." Matt rolled his eyes back.

She smack his chest, "Don't be rude."

"Then you better shut me up because I could do some more." he teased her.

She leaned over and kissed him. It was as they were kissing that she noticed his arm was touching her crest. When he laid on his back it must have caused her crest to sink further into the bed. As she kissed him again to reel him in, she could sense some of the red energy from the crest flow into him. '_Huh...wouldn't it normally hurt him since he's dark now? It isn't doing that to him...I wonder what it could mean.'_

Matt and Sora progressed their physical intimacy until it was over and Matt had released. Then they laid together in bed, breathing hard and sweating from the exertion. He stroked her red hair as he kept to his thoughts. _'That was something else. Even my dad's sex education couldn't fully prepare me for that. But...where does that leave us? Sora and I can't be together. I am dark and she is a Digidestined. This has to be just a one night stand. That must be what this is. It's definitely a good one.'_

Sora traced his chest with her finger. "Matt...I don't want this

to be a one time thing."

'_Oh hell...she can read my thoughts too. It's bad enough having one female who can read them.'_

"It's going to be hard for it not to be. I'm going to destroy the rest of the team Sora, that's a fact."

"You don't have to."

"It's not that simple." he stated, looking up at the curtains of his bed.

Sora kissed his neck, "Tell me you don't want to do this again with me. Because even though it hurt...I want to do it again."

"I'm a guy. It didn't hurt for me so yes I wanna do it again."

"With me?"

"Ummm...is there anyone else here right now?" he looked around, "Nope, so I'd say you're it."

"Even when I'm not here?"

"I haven't had sex with anyone else. Doesn't that tell you something? I could have done it before now, but it wasn't the right time or place." he answered, lightly kissing her lips.

"I see."

"I'm going to take that as my que to have sex with you again." Matt laughed as he leaned over to kiss Sora's cherry colored lips.

Sora giggled, "A lot more, even after tonight."

"That'll be hard, but I think we could. I might decide to spirit you away again."

'_I don't want him with Mimi...'_ Sora thought as she looked at the canopy. "Good."

The hours ticked by slowly in their own warped world. Matt felt the drain of keeping time slowed, but he wanted as much time as he could with Sora. It was nice to just have the two of them together doing something that only they shared. Little did they know while they were together his crest of friendship had a spark of blue glow that hadn't been there for many years. But the time they finished the second time, he wished they could just keep this going. Unfortunately, he knew it was time. He reached over and grabbed some undergarments that had been thrown about, "I need to get you back."

Sora frowned and pulled one of his pillow onto her face. She said something but it was muffled.

Matt pulled on his underwear and then his shirt, "Huh? Muttering things in a pillow isn't going to get them heard."

"I think I'll sleep here." Sora repeated, this time with the pillow off her face.

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Matt said quietly, "You might be discovered and I don't want to have to kill you."

Sora snuggled into the blankets, effectively ignoring him. '_If I stay here...I can look for their crests.'_

"Sora...love..." he snuggled back down in the blankets with her, "You need to go back. You can't stay here forever."

"I'll be as silent as a ghost so I can."

"It's not your mouth that will get you caught. Its something you can't hide."

"What makes you think I can't hide whatever it is you think I can't?" Sora argued, and then her eyes widened and she shot up and began to look through the blankets and sheets. "Where is it?" she mumbled in horror.

"What?"

"My crest, it was here but then I lost track of it when we were..." it was then the realization of what she had done with Matt hit her. '_Oh my gosh...I just committed the worst type of sin...my mother is going to kill me when she finds out! I can't believe I had...sex...before I was married. Now I'll be stuck in the flower shop for good, great.' _

"It was on the bed." Matt got up and started to pull the covers back, "We'll find it."

"It's not like anyone came in here and snatched it." she froze at the thought, "Right?"

"Not likely. Magic is possible, but not probable."

Sora ran her hands through her hair, "I hope it's still here."

"Let's keep looking." Matt said calmly.

She nodded and began to search through the blankets again. The last time she remembered seeing it was when things started to happen with Matt...and the red glow seemed to sink into his skin...

There was a swiping sound and then Matt held up his hand with her crest in it, "There it is. It's not lost."

Sora sighed in relief, "Thank goodness."

"Now you need to get dressed and go. This crest shouldn't be here and neither should you."

"And yet," she looked into his eyes as she walked around the bed to his side, "you don't want me to go."

Matt sighed, "It's better for you. I'd rather have you stay the way you are."

"And I'd rather not have you with Mimi."

"Mimi is the Queen. She doesn't have tons and tons of time for me. She's busy with conquering the Digital World and taking care of our King." he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

Sora touched his chest, "Do you think she knows...that you and I..."

"Probably." he laid his head on her shoulder.

"Does that mean she'll be angry?"

Matt nodded slowly, "Definitely. She's changed a lot."

Sora leaned into him, "Will she come after me and the others because of this?"

"She's already got plans for all of you. You need to leave Sora. I'd rather have you away from this. You need a normal life."

"I don't want one."

"You should. I will never be a normal...nice...guy." he felt his resistance slipping and he kissed her lips between the last three words.

Sora pressed the palms of her hands against his back to pull him closer, "You're nice right now." she whispered against his lips.

"But I'm not. I like doing all this with you. Once we're done, life resumes and I go back to conquering the Digital World. Nothing changes."

"Then let's not be done...don't push me away. Remember the feelings you're having right now because you are having them. This isn't like other things you've done. You want me here, you want me to wait for you."

"Feelings are very, very bad." Matt muttered, placing his cheek on hers, "I'd rather not have them."

Her fingertips trailed up his back, "You like these ones."

"But not other ones. I like shutting them off. But...if I had my way...you'd be with me, we'd be together, ruling the world. Having lots and lots of sex in bed all the time."

"Is that the only reason you'd want me around?"

"No, it's nice having someone who wants to be around me. It'd be nice...to have another companion." he answered slowly, wondering if he should stop talking.

Sora couldn't believe she was hearing this. '_He's actually opening up to me. This is great!' _ "I'd like that."

"You'd have to turn and I don't think you want that. So...you'd better go." he started to back up, thinking about how to get Sora safely out.

"W-what if you could come back to be with me? Would you consider it?" Sora asked carefully as he reached down and handed her articles of her clothing.

"No, I don't want to be human. Never again." he said quietly, "Too painful."

"I could help you, you know I would."

Matt shook his head, his hair swishing lightly, "You can't help with this stuff Sora. I never want to be human. That's all there is to it. I traded freedom for a life without pain."

Sora started to get dressed in her clothes. When she was finished she placed her hand on his cheek, "I want you back...and I know you don't want to hear that but it's the truth. You've always liked it when people were honest with you before, so I figure, even though you've changed, you still like that. Matt...I...love you."

"Don't say that. You barely know me and I'm not a good guy."

"I don't care, I love you and that's all there is to it."

His eyes began to shift back to red, "How do you know you love me?"

She touched his lips, "Because...I worry about you all the time and..." her opposite hand touched the skin just under his eye, "I'm not afraid of you. Even though you've tried countless times to make me afraid. And when you touched me..." she looked at her crest that he was still holding, "it glowed."

"That was a fluke. I can't stay perfectly human like I was."

"My crest glowing was a fluke? How is that possible?"

"I don't know. It just is." Matt said, wanting to stay like this, but he knew that wasn't possible.

Sora shook her head before leaning up and kissing his lips slowly, "You and I both know it wasn't."

"I'll lead you back to where you can go through the portal to the human world. I want you to stay there. You don't need to be here when the world burns." Matt said distractedly, kissing her back with the same ease as she had kissed him.

"I can't do that...Tai and Joe...they need me."

"Leave them." he initiated a kiss on her lips, "Do what I ask please."

Sora slowly pulled away from his kiss, which was very hard to do because she enjoyed it, "You know I can't...no matter how much I want to. Just like you can't abandon your responsibilities...neither can I."

"This time you will because you really want to. You don't want to be caught up in the middle of a war. That's what this is going to turn into. You know that." Matt reasoned, kissing her even slower and more seductively this time.

"Then come with me, let's just go away together, leave everything behind." Sora counter offered.

"I wish I could. But if I leave, I die."

"Let's find a way so that won't happen. What will it take?"

His red eyes searched her face, "It would require my crest back and...something that really can't happen...I'm dead...it's Master's power that's keeping me alive."

"Kari...she could fix that." Sora replied eagerly, "We need your crest."

"How could she fix that? Sora, she can't bring me or Mimi back to life, that's not possible."

"She can do impossible things. She's stronger now than she was before. We can do this Matt."

He shook his head, "I don't want to do this. Don't make me do this."

Sora placed her hands on his cheeks, "Matt, we can both get away from this. We won't have to fight."

"I don't care about the fighting. I excel in fighting. It's you who doesn't like that. I have other things I fear and reasons I have quite a vested interest in staying the way I am now."

'_I don't want to be human. I don't want to feel terrible and devastating emotions. I don't want to feel sadness, pain, or loneliness again. Leaving the Digital World and what I've built, would destroy me...there's not much waiting for me in the human world anyway.'_

Sora didn't like the way his eyes flickered. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, "Please...I know you don't want me and keep saying I need a 'nice' guy, but...none of that matters. I just want you to be safe, and being here isn't safe. Whether you see that or not. Please try to understand...even a little, how much I love and miss you. I wish you would have let me stay with you that day...then you wouldn't have had to go through all this with only Gabumon, not saying he isn't great because he is. I just...wish I had been there."

"This was my path. I couldn't drag you down it." he said, "At least here...I have control. I can do whatever I want. What is there really in the human world for me? A broken family that doesn't really want me...school and then going home to an empty house and watching the TV. At least here, I am..." he stopped short, locking his lips so he wouldn't spill anything more. _'Stop talking moron. You don't need to tell her things. Take her back! Get her away before you do something so stupid!'_

Sora unwrapped her arms from his neck and looked deeply into his eyes, "Me...you can come back to me. We could be together, you'd never have to be alone. I'd leave my family for you, even now. I'd get a job and we'd make it. We don't need anyone else."

"I..." Matt shook his head, "It wouldn't work. Plus you're a great tennis player and need to finish high school. What kind of breadwinner would I be? I didn't get past the 5th grade."

"That doesn't matter, we'd make it work. I could tutor you and we'd get you your degree. We could do it, I know we could."

Matt sighed, "I'm not going to decide that right now..." he stopped and gulped, "we have to go right now. Come on."

Pulling on his pants and shoes quickly, he dragged her towards a back entrance, "You have to go now. My magic isn't strong enough to shield you right now and I suspect at least one person is on to us...if not more. Let's hope it's not Master. You...you have to leave now. Go back to the human world and make sure to stay there."

Sora held onto his hand, "Matt...I don't want to leave you."

"You have to. Right now." his eyes shifted and he began to run faster, pulling her down a hall and towards the back entrance of the castle, "I'll get MetalGarurumon to take you back. I'll have to do damage control."

Sora had a hard time not tripping over her feet as he pulled her along, "But I..."

"Please don't argue." his tone spoke with authority as he opened the back door and MetalGarurumon was before them, "You really, really need to think about doing what I've asked. If I can't control the damage...hell will rain down on us all."

She held tightly onto his hand and didn't get close to MetalGarurumon, "You're a smooth talker."

"You're right, I am, but this one doesn't always listen to smooth talking. Unless you want to join the undead Digidestined club, you need to go."

Sora slowly released his hand and turned to face MetalGarurumon. She was about to get on when she stopped and turned and rushed back to Matt. Her arms wrapped around him as her eyes filled with tears she wouldn't let fall. After a few seconds of hugging him she pulled him down so she could kiss him. The kiss was deep and filled with a promise she knew he'd only understand. They broke apart when they needed to breath, "Don't forget about me." she whispered.

"That's not possible." he answered with a smirk.

"Promise?"

"There is no way I could forget you. Now go."

Sora reluctantly did as he asked and got on to MetalGarurumon. The two of them flew away leaving Matt behind. MetalGarurumon didn't speak until they were far away from the castle.

"You're worried about Matt too...aren't you?"

"Yes...so I have a proposition for you, take me to a place that they won't sense me...but don't take me away from the castle. He's going to need my help whether he sees that or not."

"For now, you must be away Sora. There is much to fear in the King and new Queen. He is trying to keep this a secret for as long as he can. I fear the consequences when this is found out. He might be sealed away just as Kari Kamiya was. But that's not all I wanted to say to you. Sora..." the Digimon paused feeling his emotion rising up, but he embraced those emotions instead of pushing them away, "please forgive Matt. He's deathly afraid of feeling emotions, especially bad ones. He's told me some things I can't discuss...but he's shouldering a lot of pain. That pain and loss makes him do wild and rash things to avoid more of it. I know that eventually Matt will do things that will in essence hurt you. I ask you as his friend to be patient and try to forgive him. He really is good, deep down inside."

Sora bit her lip, breaking the skin, "What is it he'll do?"

"He'll hurt you or something you care about. I know Matt very well. He doesn't necessarily mean to hurt the people around him...or at least he didn't before. He's much more deliberate in things now, but..." MetalGarurumon growled, "I'm not saying this well, but...Matt is pushing people away because he's afraid. He doesn't want to be human again and feel pain. For him...it's much easier to be what he is now and never feel pain or guilt."

"I know..." she touched her crest that hung around her neck, "something happened when I was with him...my crest. .the red glow, the power...flowed into him."

"Yes, I could feel a difference in Matt. He began to feel emotion again. You noticed how he started to open up to you? What I fear now is that it will cause Matt to do something stupid. He hates feeling exposed and vulnerable."

"I didn't mean to get him in trouble...this all was a mistake, wasn't it?"

"Perhaps not. If you could find his crest and we could find a way to undo what has been done, then...he could return to who he once was and maybe with your help...he'd become even better." MetalGarurumon started to feel an emotion he hadn't felt in so long...hope.

It was then that a yellow light filled both their visions and after slowly reopening their eyes they both gasped. TK was in front of them, Angemon with him.

"Sora and," his voice caught when he saw the dark tint to MetalGarurumon, "its been a long time. Thank you for bringing Sora out of that place." With those words Angemon stepped forward and touched Sora's cheek, the touch caused her eyes to roll to the back of her head and her body to go limp.

TK nodded as Angemon lifted her into his arms, "She was with my brother wasn't she?"

"They did odd things..." MetalGarurumon looked for the right word, "I think it's called...snex...no...mex...no...sex. That's it! They did that together. But before you pass judgment, Matt was the one who took Sora out of the castle. I was only the vehicle to get her away quickly."

TK pushed some of Sora's hair away from her face as Angemon came to his side, "Now I have to find a way to get the darkness out of her. Matt was selfish to do what he did to her."

"Were you successful in finding Kari? The reports were that you were stuck on the Dark Continent looking for her. I heard darkness was wearing you down." MetalGarurumon tactfully changed the subject since he didn't want to get in a fight with TK or Angemon.

"I'm still looking." Was the quick answer he gave.

"Don't give up. If I knew where she was, I would tell you, but only the King and Queen know her exact location. Matt is not privy to that knowledge. I hope that when you do find her...she will be able to help stop this madness."

"As do I. But Matt so far is leaving me little choice, he may need to be taken out."

"You and I would disagree on that, but that's beside the point. I think it would be best if Sora was taken back to the human world and away from the war that is about to erupt."

"We're short digidestined...but you're right, I'll join up with the others and take her home."

"I think for now that would be the best use of your talents. The only way to save Kari is to save Matt and Mimi. Then the knowledge of Kari's location would be revealed."

"I only need to save one." TK replied darkly before turning around. Angemon gave a brief nod to MetalGarurumon before swishing his white wings and flying in the air with the unconscious Sora in his arms.


End file.
